Canada, European countries preparing for influx of Ukrainian refugees

Defence Minister Anita Anand says Canadian officials are "doing whatever we can to assist" Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing Russian violence.

Speaking to CTV's Your Morning on Friday, Anand said the Canadian Armed Forces are in Poland and prepared to help with the humanitarian effort as thousands of Ukrainians cross borders into neighbouring countries to escape the invasion.

"We have approximately 150 Canadian Armed Forces members on standby in Poland, ready to assist," Anand said.

In addition, Anand said there are "a number of options on the table" for getting Ukrainian refugees to Canada, but the first priority is ensuring they have safe passage out of Ukraine.

• Complete coverage at CTVNews.ca/Ukraine
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Russia pressed its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital Friday after unleashing airstrikes on cities and military bases, and sending in troops and tanks from three sides of the country.

Explosions sounded before dawn in Kyiv and gunfire was reported in several areas, as thousands of Ukrainians are expected to take refuge around central Europe in the coming days.

Speaking during a press conference Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada has arranged for the safe passage of any Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families still in Ukraine through neighbouring land borders with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova.

In addition, he said the Canadian government will be prioritizing immigration applications for Ukrainians and is launching a dedicated telephone line "for anyone at home or abroad with urgent Ukraine-related immigration questions."

The federal government is advising Canadians to avoid all travel to Ukraine due to the armed conflict with Russia. For those Canadians currently in Ukraine, the government recommends sheltering in place unless it is safe to leave the country.

Those in Ukraine in need of consular assistance are advised to contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre.

"We will continue to ensure across the board that we are assisting Canadians who need safe passage to Canada and out of Ukraine," Anand said Friday.

Anand noted she has been in "close contact" with Canada's Ukrainian community of approximately 1.3 million and understands the fear and worry expressed by family members.

"We will continue to do whatever we can to assist the Ukrainian people at this time. It is an urgent issue. It is the issue affecting global stability at the current time, and Canada is here for Ukraine and the Ukrainian community," she said.

However, given the strain on the international community and the people of Ukraine, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Thursday Canada has to do more than prioritize application for those fleeing conflict zones.

"We cannot have another scenario like we saw in Afghanistan, where people were fleeing the tragedy in Afghanistan and were unable to arrive in Canada because of challenges in the system that made it so complicated, that made it so difficult for them to apply," Singh said.

He suggested the government allow Ukrainians to come without a visa, to make the process as easy as possible for people to find safety in Canada.

SEEKING REFUGE IN EUROPE

Witnesses report thousands of Ukrainian citizens have already fled across borders into neighbouring countries.

Poland is setting up reception centres and hospitals to deal with the expected rush of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, the Polish government said Thursday.

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees have also fled across the border to Moldova, where the government set up tents and vowed to keep borders open, while Romania is preparing to receive up to half a million potential refugees.

In addition, Germany has offered humanitarian help to countries bordering Ukraine and is preparing for an inpouring of migrants into the European Union.

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Anna Triandafyllidou, Canada Excellence Research Chair on Migration and Integration at Ryerson University, told CTV's Your Morning there are strong Ukrainian migrant populations across Europe.

"It's important to say there are Ukrainian migrant populations in places like Germany, but also like Italy. So we would expect that people will mobilize their family and friends, kinship networks, to move," Triandafyllidou said in an interview on Friday.

While she acknowledges there are "different levels of preparedness" for an influx of migrants in each country, Triandafyllidou noted there will be a fair amount of "spontaneous" movement.

"There's not such a level of preparedness, I would say, in places like Hungary or Slovakia or Romania as we would have seen in say Canada when we are resettling refugees, but I think it will be something more that will happen on the go," Triandafyllidou said.

She added that countries taking in Ukrainians must also be ready for them to stay long-term, especially if Kyiv were to fall to Russian forces.

"The military operations may soon be over, so it might be that [Ukrainians] are not right now thinking, 'I'm just seeking refuge with my family, extended family, friends or anyone and that I plan to go back,' because as we know, things often don't turn out as we planned them," Triandafyllidou said.

With files from The Canadian Press