Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum made an unannounced visit on Friday to a refugee camp in the town of Ghaziyeh in southern Lebanon near the port city of Sidon.

"I wanted to see the refugees with my own eyes, talk to them, welcome them in advance to Canada," McCallum said in Lebanon. "I also wanted to make sure we are on track to bring the number of people we want to bring, by the time we want to bring them."

This was McCallum's first visit to Lebanon as Canada intensifies efforts to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees by year's end. Approximately 1,200 refugees have arrived in the country since Nov. 4., according to the most recent figures posted on the government of Canada website.

Minister of Immigration John McCallum speaks with a Syrian family inside their tent, during his visit to a refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Friday. (Bilal Hussein/Associated Press)

In a written statement issued after his visit, McCallum said "the work being done on the ground here in Lebanon by Canadians and others is enormous."

"We are making a very real difference in the lives of so many Syrian refugees who have gone through such hardship. Those who come to Canada can expect a warm welcome and an opportunity to be successful in their new home," said McCallum in a written statement Friday afternoon.

McCallum was given a tour of the operations centre by Canadian officials and embassy staff. He saw first-hand where Syrian refugees will undergo a medical exam and security screening prior to their departure.

He also spoke with a number of Syrian families who were at the centre waiting to find out if they passed all security checks and medical screening.

Governor General greets Syrian refugees in Toronto

News of McCallum's visit was made public just as Gov. Gen. David Johnston was at Pearson International Airport in Toronto to welcome about 200 Syrian refugees arriving from Beirut.

Johnston was accompanied by his wife, Sharon, their daughter Alex Johnston and four grandchildren — Tea, 9, Georgia, 6, Sadie, 6, and Lucas, 5.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston and his wife, Sharon, welcome a Syrian refugee as he arrives with his family at Toronto's Pearson airport on Friday. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

The chartered flight included a mix of government-sponsored and privately sponsored refugees.

The Governor General spoke with Canadian officials as he waited for refugees to pass various health and security checks, and he thanked Service Canada staff responsible for issuing social insurance numbers to the new refugees.

He also shook hands with an interpreter on hand to help the refugees and tried out a few words of Arabic, including the word "welcome."

Johnston's grandchildren also practised a few phrases in Arabic.

He shook hands with staff at a welcome centre who gave him winter coats and teddy bears to hand out to the Syrian families and their small children.

Johnston's grandchildren were given their own teddy bears by staff.