In February, the federal government reached its goal of resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada.

It was a logistical accomplishment. However, success cannot be measured in plane tickets alone.

Many refugees remain deeply traumatized by the savage Syrian war and they all must now adapt to the realities of life in a foreign country with a language and culture that is utterly alien.

While Syrian refugees may be physically safe in Canada, it would be deeply regrettable if they became marginalized and disadvantaged in their new home. Without help — without hope — they will remain strangers in a strange land.

That is why our Senate Committee on Human Rights has been studying efforts to aid the integration of newly arrived Syrian refugees.

Committee members have heard testimony from government officials, refugee service organizations and refugees themselves in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. Other witnesses testified through video conference from Halifax and Calgary.

We will table a full report in the fall but given what we have witnessed firsthand — the urgent need for services essential to the integration process for refugees — we have made some preliminary observations that, in our view, the government ought to consider, especially as more refugees will be arriving.

For one, we believe the government should ease financial burdens that threaten to crush refugees from the moment they arrive. It is somewhat cliché to say a refugee arrives in a new country with nothing but the shirt on his back. However, many Syrian refugees are not even that fortunate — some are obligated to repay the costs of their flights to Canada and mandatory medical exams.

What does it say about a country that extends a hand in friendship — and then sends a bill?

Further, the government has not been disbursing child tax benefits as quickly as it could, which makes it even more difficult for refugee families to find firm financial footing quickly.

Given these observations, we urge the government to accelerate processing times to ease unnecessary economic burdens so refugees do not face financial hardship and needless stress in their first months in Canada.

Other difficulties are more difficult to see but no less insidious.

For instance, we heard about a young refugee who hid all of his toys under his bed out of fear that soldiers would come and take them away.

And another refugee, a mother, forgot that her sponsor had taken her child to a dentist appointment and panicked, believing her child had been kidnapped.

The Syrian conflict has claimed minds as well as bodies. Distance alone is not a cure.

Thus, our committee believes the federal and provincial governments should strengthen mental health supports for refugees. Without this support, many will struggle to adapt and thrive.

Better access to language classes is also critical for successful integration, especially for adults who may not be exposed to English or French to the same degree as their school-age children.

As a corollary, access to child care during language classes is essential to ensure parents — especially mothers — do not get left behind. Refugees must learn our languages if they are to find good jobs and take their proper places as productive members of Canadian society.

In our view, federal funding to the provincial and territorial governments for language classes — classes that ought to be made available to refugees immediately upon arrival — is an essential part of integration.

Canadians are justly proud that more than 28,000 Syrian refugees have arrived here to date. The government has celebrated with its #WelcomeRefugees hashtag.

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While our committee shares in this pride we also note the challenge has barely begun. We heard tremendous gratitude and stories of hope from many of the refugees we met; we also heard they will continue to need our help to integrate. We cannot simply abandon them to fate, or allow their optimism to wither into despair.

We have heard about and seen their skills, their experience, their courage and their desire to integrate quickly. We must make it a priority. It will take more than a hashtag and good intentions to make the Syrian refugee program a success.