Document Shows Ottawa Provided Over $750 Million in Support to Ukrainian Refugees
The Canadian government has provided Ukrainian war refugees with over $753 million, according to a department of immigration document.
“As of April 1, 281,052 people have been approved for payment under the Canada-Ukraine Transitional Assistance Initiative for a total anticipated payout of $753,444,000,” said an April 4 briefing note, which was first obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.
The note said Ukrainian refugees arriving in Canada received a “direct one-time payment” of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per minor child. The department said the total cost of all federal aid for Ukrainian refugees was “over $1 billion” but did not specify how the funding was allocated.
Some of the “key settlement services” listed in the document included covering flights to Canada, 14 nights’ of accommodation, language training, work and study permits, and “services targeted to the needs of women, seniors, youth and LGBTQI+persons.”
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, over one million Ukrainians have applied for settlement in Canada, with over 990,000 applications being approved. The applicants have until July 31 to arrive in Canada and claim their benefits.
The document noted that there are 1.3 million Ukrainian-Canadians in Canada, which contributed to the large amount of refugees being accepted.
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The department said that the Canada-Ukraine Authorization For Emergency Travel represented the “fastest, safest, and most efficient way” for Ukrainian refugees to come to Canada, and that there was “no limit to the number of individuals who could apply.”
The aid figures did not include funding for Gaza, which also ramped up after the breakout of the war in that region in late 2023.
