Security checks a priority, but welcome refugees to Canada: B.C. premier

DELTA, B.C. – British Columbia Premier Christy Clark says the security of Canadians has to come first when inviting thousands of Syrian refugees to the country, but there’s also an immediate urgency to help people needing asylum.

Clark says the refugees are from the worst war-torn regions in the world, some facing daily violence similar to what unfolded in Paris last Friday.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has asked the federal government to suspend its plan to bring in 25,000 refugees by the end of the year over safety concerns after attacks in Paris killed 129 people.

Clark says the federal government needs to ensure that security checks are being done on every refugee who enters the country.

But she adds that Canadians also want to make sure that we open our doors to give refugees somewhere safe to live as soon as possible.

The premier says British Columbians stands with Parisians in their grief.