There are worse things than a broken election promise, and we don't say that lightly.

It is understandable, even admirable, that the Trudeau government is standing by its commitment to admit 25,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees to our country. But it is not wise to stubbornly stick with the current unrealistic timeline. The government continues to insist all this will happen by the end of the year.

This is especially pressing with media reports suggesting at least one of the Paris murderers sneaked into the country hidden in the tide of refugees crossing Europe.

[Focus on Syrian passport found in Paris highlights lack of checks for migrants]

This is a nightmare for western governments and moderate politicians of all stripes. If true, this means ISIL is using the very refugee migration it helped create to move its mass killers under the camouflage of legitimate refugees.

Not only is this a new and frighteningly effective tactic, it gives needed ammunition to our own extremists — those like fringe American Republicans who insist the best answer to this threat is for the United States to seal its borders, creating a new fortress America, and at the same time make a bigger military investment in annihilating ISIL, a strategy that would certainly involve American troops on the ground in Syria and Iraq. We have no Donald Trumps, thankfully. But you don't have to look hard to find extremists in Canada who hold similar opinions.

That does not mean the government should back away from its stated commitment. That would be wrong. Canada still has an ethical and moral responsibility to do its share to alleviate or at least mitigate the growing refugee crisis.

[Ottawa firm on decision to admit Syrian 25,000 refugees]

Nor does any of this necessarily mean Prime Minister Trudeau needs to recant on his commitment to pull Canadian bombers from combat in Syria. The Canadian role in the bombing campaign has always been minuscule and more ideologically symbolic than militarily significant. Canada can make much greater contributions to the effort in areas such as training and humanitarian relief and should do so.

But what the government must not do is put its election promise ahead of public safety. The year-end time frame has always been questionable, with many experts saying it's simply not feasible, or wise, to try to process, move and settle that many refugees in such a short time. We can't risk a fast-tracked process that might sacrifice thoroughness for speed. This has to be done right, not necessarily done fast.

Considering ISIL's new terror tactic, this is no longer a matter of smart or realistic policy. It could be a matter of life and death. The government must ensure the refugee commitment is kept, but in an intelligent way that balances humanitarian interests with national security. That means the year-end target must be set aside.

[Justin Trudeau seeks to reassure Canadians in wake of Paris attacks]