Canada opposition raps PM over report his office delayed refugee processing

By Leah Schnurr
OTTAWA, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Canada's opposition parties,
seeking to end a near decade of Conservative rule in this
month's election, blasted Prime Minister Stephen Harper on
Thursday over a report his office had halted the processing of
some Syrian refugee claims.
Harper came under great pressure last month to let in more
refugees when it emerged that relatives of a Syrian toddler
whose drowned body washed up on a Turkish beach had wanted to
emigrate to Canada. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N119148
The Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Thursday that
Harper's office had told immigration officials earlier this year
to stop processing claims of Syrians referred by the United
Nations, declaring they would need the prime minister's approval
to enter Canada. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nNrm2Jn30Y
The office of Conservative Immigration Minister Chris
Alexander said in a statement on Thursday the processing of the
first batch of Syrian government-assisted refugees had been
temporarily halted so a security audit could be carried out.
It said the halt "was a prudent step to ensure the integrity
of our refugee referral system." The statement did not say when
the processing had restarted or refer to the Globe story
alleging the involvement of Harper's office.
Although the statement did not give further details, Harper
has repeatedly said refugees need to be screened to prevent
potential militants entering Canada disguised as refugees.
Critics have long accused Harper and his office of
interfering in all aspects of government rather than letting his
ministers control their own portfolios, and opponents jumped on
the Globe report as another example.
"Stephen Harper himself prevented the arrival of Syrian
families in the midst of the worst humanitarian crisis since
World War Two ... that is abject behavior on the part of a
Canadian prime minister," said Tom Mulcair, leader of the
official opposition New Democrats.
A spokesman for the Conservatives did not immediately
respond to a request seeking further comment.
Opinion polls show Harper is set to lose his majority in the
Oct. 19 election and might even be removed from power by the
Liberals and New Democrats.
"There are very few people left in this country who are
surprised when we hear reports of the prime minister and his
office meddling in things in a political and non-transparent
way," Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said on a campaign stop.
The Conservative government said in late September that it
would speed up the processing of refugee applications to bring
thousands Syrians and Iraqis to Canada by the end of the year.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N11P0PC