Advertisment CBC.ca (BUTTON) MENU * TV * Radio * News * Sports * Music * Arts * (BUTTON) Local * (BUTTON) More * Watch * Listen * (BUTTON) Log in * (BUTTON) SEARCH ____________________ SEARCH * British Columbia * Kamloops * Calgary * Edmonton * Saskatchewan * Saskatoon * Manitoba * Thunder Bay * Sudbury * Windsor * Kitchener-Waterloo * Hamilton * Toronto * Ottawa * Montreal * New Brunswick * Prince Edward Island * Nova Scotia * Newfoundland & Labrador * North * Kids * Documentaries * Comedy * Books * Parents * Aboriginal * Weather * CBC Connects * Digital Archives * Podcasts * Games * Contests * Holiday * Site Map CBC Member CBC User User profile avatar image You currently have: * 0 Likes * 0 Comments Subscriptions Go to the Subscriptions Centre to manage your: * CBC Newsletters * Daily Digests * Breaking Alerts Log Out Log out of your CBC account. (BUTTON) My Profile (BUTTON) My Subscriptions (BUTTON) Log Out cbc masthead logo British Columbia LIVE Vancouver More Streams CBC Radio One Listen Live host picture CBC News Canada CBC News Navigation * Home * World * Canada * Politics * Business * Health * Arts & Entertainment * Technology & Science * Trending * Weather * Video * Canada * BC * Photo Galleries Security threat no reason to block Syrian refugees, says former minister Canada brought in 60,000 refugees from Indochina despite fears of bringing in Communists By The Early Edition, CBC News Posted: Sep 09, 2015 11:14 AM PT Last Updated: Sep 09, 2015 11:14 AM PT A Syrian refugee, left, carries two children after arriving on a dinghy on the Greek island of Lesbos, September 7, 2015. Greece is struggling to cope with the hundreds of migrants and refugees from the war in Syria making the short crossing every day from Turkey to Greece's eastern islands, including Kos, Lesbos, Samos and Agathonisi. A Syrian refugee, left, carries two children after arriving on a dinghy on the Greek island of Lesbos, September 7, 2015. Greece is struggling to cope with the hundreds of migrants and refugees from the war in Syria making the short crossing every day from Turkey to Greece's eastern islands, including Kos, Lesbos, Samos and Agathonisi. (Dimitris Michalakis/Reuters) Close [audiothumb.gif] Former immigration minister weighs in on Canada's role in the Syrian refugee crisis 10:03 Related Stories * Syrian refugee crisis: Christy Clark pledges $1M to help refugees * Refugee reality check: the truth about sponsoring * Glenn Davidson, former ambassador to Syria, calls on Canada to accept more refugees * Canadians want more to be done to help refugees, polls suggest Security concerns are not a good enough reason to prevent the Canadian government from bringing thousands of Syrian refugees into the country, argues former immigration minister Ron Atkey. Atkey, who served under Prime Minister Joe Clark in 1979 and 1980, says the Progressive Conservative government then managed to help 60,000 refugees from Indochina come to Canada after the end of the Vietnam War. At the time, the government was concerned about the risks of bringing into Canada people who could be criminals or Communist officials, Atkey said. However, there was an effective screening process in place, and Atkey argues a similar process can be implemented by current Canadian officials to assess security risks among Syrian refugees. "If you look at 1979, 1980, this was Vietnam — this was a Communist government that had taken over and defeated the Americans," Atkey told The Early Edition's Rick Cluff. "There were a lot of Communist sympathizers that were rumoured to be among the refugees. There were criminals that the Communists were kind of trying to export under that program, and through the effective work of our security service and the RCMP, they were able to deal with that." Security risk too great: Harper The plight of millions of Syrian refugees has once again been highlighted after images of a drowned Syrian child with British Columbia ties sparked international outcry. Canada has committed to bringing in 10,000 Syrian refugees. So far, only about 2,300 have been resettled in Canada, with most of them arriving through private sponsorships from Canadian citizens. Conservative party leader Stephen Harper has said the government will not airlift thousands of refugees from countries such as Syria and Iraq, where extremist organizations operate, without conducting a proper security screening. He has said the security risk is too great for Canada. Though Atkey acknowledges the security risks, he says they must be weighed against "the humanitarian benefits of doing something quite dramatic" to aid refugees in need. In 1979, government had a plan to directly assist Indochinese refugees living in camps abroad, and to do so in a way that didn't require a ton of bureaucratic red tape, said Atkey. He argues a similar plan can be put in place now to assist Syrian refugees if only there was a political will. "There is willingness and enthusiasm right now among the private sector to support the refugees," he said. "That's going to dissipate if we go on too long, and if the person is told they're going to sponsor a family, and they don't see any evidence of their time and money and effort for three years, which is the current situation." Listen to the full interview: Former immigration minister weighs in on Canada's role in the Syrian refugee crisis * Report Typo Send Feedback Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time. Submission Policy Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines. Stay Connected with CBC News * Mobile * Facebook * Podcasts * Twitter * Alerts * Newsletter Advertisment Latest British Columbia News * Family photo - blurred B.C. defends social workers after abusive father gets unsupervised access * Thieves hit Bright Nights display in Stanley Park, again read comments * Richmond art exhibit highlights the world's 3 remaining northern white rhinos read comments * B.C. health minister pushing Ottawa for age-based health-care funding read comments video * Alberta fracking operation closed indefinitely after earthquake read comments video Top News Headlines * canada dollar loonie A 59-cent loonie? It could happen this year, investment bank says read comments * Obama's 'peppery' state of the union calls out his would-be Republican successors read comments video * No pickup lines, please: New-gen car show models are consumer sleuths read comments video * 5 things Canadians should know about Powerball read comments * Trudeau praises Toronto's response to Syrian refugee resettlement read comments Advertisment Most Viewed * B.C. defends social workers after abusive father gets unsupervised access * B.C. health minister pushing for age-based federal funding * King tide reaches Delta's Boundary Bay waterfront * Bright Nights in Stanley Park hit by thieves a second time * Condo sales with no cash down payment proposed by B.C. developer * Kelly Singh Mahal pleads guilty in U.S. after trying to meet 12-year-old girl for sex * BCIT nap room aims to help students focus on their studies * Tragic death leads to call for mandatory drug reaction reports * Abbotsford Police create dark domestic violence video aimed at students Don't Miss * Family photo - blurred CBC INVESTIGATES B.C. defends social workers after abusive father gets unsupervised access * Hanging lights at Bright Nights Vancouver Bright Nights in Stanley Park hit by thieves a second time * --RIP Nola - In Honour of Nola - New Endangered rhinos subject of Tusk and Horn art exhibit * Drug Shortages 20150210 B.C. health minister pushing for age-based federal funding * fox creek Updated Fox Creek fracking operation closed indefinitely after earthquake * Beach Grove Road King Tide King tide reaches Delta's Boundary Bay waterfront * canadian powerball ticket holder Powerball lottery: Questions about legitimacy of online ticket brokers not stopping Canadians * Helena Lambert Tragic death leads to call for mandatory reports * Doug MacDonald Refugee sponsors struggle to find available housing in Victoria * victor buglar wanted canada wide warrant breach parole Ottawa man wanted on Canada-wide warrant after breaching parole * Revealution Abbotsford Police create dark domestic violence video aimed at students * WEA Ontario 20110815 Corus Entertainment is buying Shaw Media in $2.65B deal * Elisabeth Burgess Community Court judge agrees service integration key to success * BCIT nap room BCIT nap room aims to help students focus on their studies * Got Insurance montage Analysis How reckless behaviour sells you products Explore CBC * CBC Home * TV * Radio * News * Sports * Music * Arts * Kids * Local * Documentaries * Comedy * Books * Parents * Aboriginal * Weather * CBC Connects * Digital Archives * Games * Contests * Site Map Stay Connected * Mobile * RSS * Podcasts * Newsletters & Alerts Services and Information * Corporate Info * Public Appearances * Commercial Services * Reuse & Permission * Terms of Use * Privacy Policy * CBC Shop * Help * Contact Us * Jobs * Doing Business with Us * Renting Facilities CBC CBC gem logo Radio-Canada ©2016 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved Visitez Radio-Canada.ca