Immigration Minister John McCallum says 15,000 Syrian refugees are in the process of being interviewed by Canadian officials overseas.
In his weekly update on Wednesday, McCallum became emotional when speaking about the huge undertaking involved in resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees.
"For me, this is a project from the heart," McCallum said when asked about his pitch to Canadian businesses to raise $50 million to support incoming refugees. "That's all I'll say about that."
In the past couple of weeks Canadian officials have significantly increased the pace at which they're able to process refugees, McCallum said.
He said 800 medical checks are being completed per day, up from 600 per week.
"That is an example of the massive increase in capacity that we have achieved in the field," McCallum said.
He noted that at least 500 Canadian public servants are working on the ground in refugee camps overseas.
The next plane of primarily government-sponsored refugees is expected to arrive in Toronto from Beirut on Dec. 18.
So far, about 1,100 Syrians have landed in Canada. The Liberals have promised to bring over 10,000 refugees by year's end and another 15,000 in January and February.
McCallum said he'll announce a detailed flight schedule early next week, but on average he expects two flights carrying Syrian refugees to arrive in Canada daily between now and the end of the year.
"It's busy, very busy," McCallum said.
He admitted that it's a "challenge" to have so many refugees arriving during the holiday season.
"But on the other hand … it is the Christmas season, so in a way it's a good thing,” he said. "Here we are at Christmas time welcoming these plane loads and plane loads of Syrian refugees."
He said some families who have been approved to come to Canada are asking for more time before flying into the country, which is a proving to be a challenge in meeting Ottawa's goal of welcoming 10,000 refugees by the end of the year.
"If you're a Syrian family and you were told…that your processing has been complete and you're welcome to come to Canada…you may want to say goodbye to your family and friends, you may have some assets that you wish to sell," McCallum said. "This is a very human element."
Liberals drop court battle over refugee health
The government also announced on Wednesday that it has ended a controversial court battle over refugee health.
The Liberals have formally dropped the previous Conservative government's appeal of a Federal Court decision that found cuts to health coverage for some refugees and refugee claimants were unconstitutional.
"The decision not to pursue the appeal is consistent with Canadian values in refugee care," Health Minister Jane Philpott said.
