TORONTO — Canada’s new Liberal government said Tuesday it will resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees by late December and another 15,000 by late February.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had wanted to resettle 25,000 refugees in Canada by Dec. 31 but faced some pushback following the deadly attacks in Paris. Immigration and Refugee Minister John McCallum said they wanted to get it done fast but also do it right so they are taking a little bit more time to process and resettle the refugees.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initially hoped to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by year’s end, but the terror attacks in Paris have forced changes in the timeline. The Associated Press

The government said health and security screening will take place overseas and once that’s complete, refugees will be flown to Toronto and Montreal, largely on chartered aircraft. Military aircraft will assist if needed.

“We will welcome them with a smile,” McCallum said. “This is a wonderful humanitarian gesture by all Canadians.”

Tuesday’s announcement could raise alarm in the U.S., where many Republican governors don’t want any Syrian refugees.

The U.S. plans to take 10,000 over the next year. Germany saw 758,000 refugees and other migrants arrive between January and October. Sweden is expecting around 200,000 this year.

Canada will be working closely with the United Nations Refugee Agency. Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey are being targeted.

McCallum said they will choose the most vulnerable whatever the religion might be.

“We want to make sure there is no discrimination,” Heritage Minister Melanie Joly said.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said military barracks are being prepared only as a precaution if temporary accommodations are needed. The government said it will spend $678 million Canadian (U.S. $510 million) over six years on the resettlement effort.

Canada’s commitment reflects the change in government after last month’s election. Former Conservative Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper had declined to resettle more Syrian refugees, despite the haunting image of a drowned 3-year-old Syrian boy washed up on a Turkish beach. The boy had relatives in Canada and the refugee crisis became a major campaign issue.

Brad Wall, the Conservative premier of Saskatchewan, had said he had problems with the original deadline of bringing 25,000 refugees by Dec. 31, but said he believed Canada should welcome the refugees.

Toronto Mayor John Tory said he’s confident in the screening process and fully supports the revised timelines

Canada has long prided itself on opening its doors to asylum seekers. It airlifted more than 5,000 people from Kosovo in the late 1990s, more than 5,000 from Uganda in 1972 and resettled 60,000 Vietnamese in 1979-80.

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