First planeload of Syria refugees to arrive in Toronto on Thursday

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The first planeload of Syrian refugees from camps in Jordan and Lebanon will arrive in Canada on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday.

Another such aircraft will arrive in Montreal on Saturday, he told legislators.

"Resettling refugees demonstrates our commitment to Canadians and the world that Canada understands we can and must do more," said Trudeau.

The Liberal government plans to resettle 10,000 refugees from Syria's four-year-old civil war by the end of the year and a further 15,000 by the end of February. Officials say the refugees on the first plane loads will be mostly or entirely privately sponsored.

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