OTTAWA—Canada is opening the door to 13,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees, answering an appeal by the United Nations to help victims displaced by war and Islamic extremists in the region.

But Ottawa is expecting private organizations such as charities and churches to pick up the tab to resettle as many as 60 per cent of the refugees, putting a question mark over just how many will be able to actually seek refuge here.

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced Wednesday that Canada would accept an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees over three years and 3,000 Iraqi refugees by the end of 2015.

The refugees have been fleeing an ongoing civil war in Syria and more recently the advance of violent Islamic State fighters in both Syria and Iraq that have sent citizens fleeing for the lives.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had appealed to countries in December to dramatically boost their intake of refugees to ease a humanitarian crisis that continues to worsen.

In a report issued Wednesday, the UN agency said the Syrians have become the largest refugee population under its mandate, surpassing Afghans. The agency counts more than 3 million Syrian refugees, many forced to take shelter in neighbouring countries such as Turkey and Jordan.

“We do this not only because we can, but because it is right and just,” Alexander said in a statement Wednesday.

But the new commitment brought mixed reactions, given the troubles Ottawa has had meeting a 2013 pledge to settle 1,300 Syrian refugees here. Of those, 1,100 have arrived.

New Democrat MP Paul Dewar expressed concern whether the government had adequate resources to process the new arrivals, given the difficulty meeting the previous target.

“They have a major problem in terms of being able to process refugees, clearly,” Dewar said.

“We’re happy that they finally decided to commit to something but we need to see a definite action plan on how they are going to follow up.”

The heavy reliance on private sponsors for the next round of refugees undermines the Conservative government’s pledge, said Janet Dench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees.

“There are some serious reservations about capacity,” Dench said in an interview.

She said sponsoring an individual refugee can cost up to $12,000 a year, plus the need to set up a household and the cost of ensuring health coverage for necessities not covered by Ottawa. It adds up to a heavy financial burden for community-based groups that rely on donations and goodwill.

Alexander suggested Wednesday that 60 per cent of the new refugees would be private sponsorships and 40 per cent would be government assisted moves, though a spokesperson said later that the exact breakdown had yet to be finalized.

Dewar accused the government of downloading its responsibilities by relying on private organizations and instead said the government should be supporting the majority of refugees brought to Canada.

“A majority should be government sponsored and a minority of the refugees coming should be private sponsorship,” Dewar said.

That was also echoed by Amnesty International, which said the government is setting “extraordinary” — and perhaps impossible — expectations for grassroots organizations.

“It is not clear from the government announcement whether private groups were adequately consulted about their ability to contribute to these numbers,” it said in a statement.

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The United Nations refugee agency said it welcomed the “generous” commitment.

“This substantial pledge is in keeping with Canada’s strong humanitarian tradition to offer resettlement to refugees world-wide,” the agency said in a statement.

International Development Minister Christian Paradis, who joined Alexander for the announcement, said Ottawa would commit an additional $90 million to provide essentials such as shelter, clothes, food and emergency health care to those in the region.

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