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For weeks now Canadian politicians, commentators and citizens — the entire country, in fact — have been giddy with self-admiration over the good deed they have done by accepting Syrian war refugees since the tragic images of two-year-old Alan Kurdi face down in the wash on a Turkish beach received global attention.

It is commendable that Canada has accepted several thousand Syrian refugees this year, including members of Kurdi’s family, who are expected to arrive in Canada on Monday, and that it has promised to take in as many as 50,000 over the next year or two. It is heartening to discover that many Canadians want to help the newcomers get here and to settle in.

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But the orgy of congratulatory backslapping that has gripped the country for several months now is way over the top. A little perspective is urgently required.

Based on its population and the size of its economy, Canada would have to accept about 670,000 refugees to match the compassion Sweden has shown over the past year. To be as welcoming as Germany, Canada would have to take in about 450,000 asylum seekers in a little over half a year. Even tiny Finland has put Canada to shame. With about one-seventh the population, Finland has accepted about 30,000 refugees since June. That would be like Canada taking in 210,000 refugees in seven months.