Article content

OTTAWA — Some 1,200 people considered to be among the most vulnerable refugees in the world are to be housed in Canada by the end of this year, the Trudeau government announced Tuesday — a move praised by Conservative MP Michelle Rempel as a message to the world that the persecuted Yazidi population needs to be a greater priority for safe-haven countries.

Nearly 400 Yazidi refugees and other survivors of Islamist extremists have already been accepted over the last four months, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said in announcing the initiative, which is expected to cost $28 million.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Canada to spend $28 million to give asylum to 1,200 more Yazidi refugees fleeing ISIL Back to video

But unlike the thousands of refugees fleeing violence in Syria who were greeted by flashing cameras and intense public exposure, the Yazidis have been entering the country with no fanfare. That won’t change, say government officials who are protecting the identity of the asylum seekers because of just how vulnerable they are.