First Government Plane Carrying Refugees Arrives in Canada

TORONTO— The first Canadian government plane carrying Syrian refugees arrived in Toronto late Thursday where they were greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is pushing forward with his pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of F...

Madeleine Jamkossian, right, arrives with her family, refugees fleeing from Syria, at Pearson International airport, in Toronto, on Dec. 11, 2015. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP

TORONTO— The first Canadian government plane carrying Syrian refugees arrived in Toronto late Thursday where they were greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is pushing forward with his pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February.

The welcome given to the military flight carrying 163 refugees stands in stark contrast to the United States. Canada’s much more populous southern neighbor plans to take in just 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year, and even that is provoking opposition. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump caused a worldwide uproar with a proposal to temporarily block Muslims from entering the U.S.

The flight from Jordan arrived just before midnight carrying the first of two large groups of Syrian refugees to arrive in the country by government aircraft.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, greets Georgina Zires, center, Madeleine Jamkossian, second right, and her father Kevork Jamkossian, refugees fleeing from Syria, as they arrive at Pearson International airport, in Toronto, on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP