Syrian Refugees to Canada to Fly in from Jordan

Canada's ambassador to Jordan confirmed on Monday that the desert kingdom will be the starting point for the journey of 25,000 Syrian refugees which the country will welcome from next month.

Citing a leaked document, Canadian media last week said the government was planning to fly in 900 Syrian refugees daily from Jordan to Montreal and Toronto, starting from December 1.

From there they would be transported to two military bases in Ontario and Quebec, where they would be temporarily housed, the reports said, giving a total cost of Can$1.2 billion ($900 million) for the operation over six years.

Ambassador Bruno Saccomani said refugees from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey will be flown to Canada from Jordan, citing the kingdom's "security and stability," the official Petra news agency reported.

Speaking after talks with Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur, the ambassador also said that the operation to host the refugees would cost an estimated Can$1.2 billion.

Canadian officials have said details of the operation would be announced on Tuesday.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR estimates that more than four million Syrians have fled the civil war that has ravaged their country and reportedly killed more than 250,000 people.