Immigration minister says Ukrainian refugees could remain in Canada for 'at least a few years'
As the head of NATO warns the war in Ukraine could last for years, the federal minister responsible for refugees says Ukrainians fleeing the conflict could be in Canada for some time.
“War is absolute chaos,” said Sean Fraser, Canada’s minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship (IRCC) in an interview with CTV Atlantic Sunday.
“No matter how long it might take, if we believe in the values of territorial integrity of nations, of the self-determination of peoples and of the sovereignty of states, then we have to breathe life into those actions.”
Fraser, the MP for Central Nova, says there are currently more than 32,000 Ukrainian refugees in Canada, and for the majority of them, the transition to life in a new country has “gone well.”
IRCC is working with different levels of government, non-profits and the private sector to set Ukrainians up for success in Canada “because they could be here for certainly at least a few years,” said Fraser.
With hundreds of thousands of job vacancies across the country, Fraser says the majority of Ukrainians he’s spoken to have signed up for work or study permits.
“They don’t want to be charity cases when they arrive. They say, ‘You’ve been kind enough to welcome me to your country, I’m going to make a contribution.’”
Financial supports for Ukrainian refugees range from $3,000 for adults to $1,500 for children.
While those payments are available one time only, Fraser says his agency is working with partners in both the private and public sector to make sure Ukrainians continue to be supported.
“It’s one thing to get them here,” he said. “We’ll be far better off in the long run if we do it the right way and support them after they land in Canada.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Manitoba could make history by electing first First Nations premier to lead province
A First Nations premier would head a province for the first time in Canadian history if the New Democrats win the Oct. 3 Manitoba election, and the significance is not lost on party leader Wab Kinew.
Why is Brampton rent surging 3 times faster than every other city in Canada?
Rent in Brampton shot up three times faster over the last year than the national average in Canada, according to a rental report.
EXCLUSIVE 'Shared intelligence' from Five Eyes informed Trudeau's India allegation: U.S. ambassador
There was 'shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners' that informed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's public allegation of a potential link between the government of India and the murder of a Canadian citizen, United States Ambassador to Canada David Cohen confirmed to CTV News.
1 RCMP officer killed, 2 seriously injured while executing search warrant in Coquitlam, B.C.
One RCMP officer was killed and two others were seriously injured while police were executing a search warrant at a home in Coquitlam, B.C., Friday.
'He was truly exceptional': Slain B.C. RCMP officer identified
B.C. RCMP have identified the officer killed while executing a search warrant in Coquitlam Friday morning as Const. Rick O'Brien.
'Spirit of MuchMusic' still alive at doc premiere with former VJs in attendance
While the party died years ago at MuchMusic's broadcast centre on the corner of Queen and John streets in Toronto, the screening of a new documentary on Friday proved nostalgia for the nation's music station is still very much alive.
Ford offers Unifor wage increases up to 25 per cent
Ford Motor has offered Canadian union Unifor wage increases of up to 25 per cent in its tentative agreement, the union said on Saturday. The agreement provides a 10 per cent wage increase for the first year followed by increases of two per cent and three per cent through the second and third year and a $10,000 productivity and quality bonus to all employees on the active roll of the company, Unifor said.
Ukraine targets a key Crimean city a day after striking Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters
Ukraine on Saturday morning launched another missile attack on Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean Peninsula, a Russian-installed official said, a day after an attack on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet that left a serviceman missing and the main building smouldering.
First Red Cross aid convoy heads to Karabakh since Azerbaijan retakes region
An aid convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross headed to Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday, the first since Azerbaijan retook the breakaway region three days ago, as ethnic Armenians there complained of being abandoned by the world.