Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is leaving no constituency feeling unloved in his party’s quest for a rare fourth consecutive mandate, and that includes Canadians who are dismayed by his government’s lacklustre response to the ghastly human suffering in Syria and Iraq.

After dragging their heels on bringing Syrian refugees to safety here, the Conservatives are suddenly promising to resettle 10,000 more refugees “from the region” over the next four years if they are re-elected. It’s a welcome pledge, to be sure. But it is also a heavily conditioned one that is more reflective of the political heat the Tories have been getting than of any serious desire to spearhead a forceful response to the worst refugee crisis in recent memory.

Harper makes much of his decision to send a few warplanes and trainers to help fight the Islamic State jihadists. But meanwhile, millions of people are on the run and suffering. Measured against that scale Canada’s help for refugees has been pitiful.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has rightly lobbied the government to urgently sponsor no fewer than 25,000 Syrian refugees, and to generously step up aid. And New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair has pushed for a far more “robust humanitarian mission” than has been evident so far.

Even with the new announcement Harper will have committed to taking in fewer than 4,500 new refugees a year from Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the region, over a 10-year stretch from 2009 to 2019.

Canada will meet pledges since 2009 to resettle 23,000 Iraqis by year’s end. Harper also promised in January to take in 10,000 Syrians over three years, on top of the 1,300 pledged in 2013. (A scant 2,500 have now made it here.) His promise this week to accept 10,000 more brings the grand total to 44,300 over a decade.

Canada has done relatively better helping to ease suffering in the war zones. We’ve committed nearly $1 billion in the past few years, including $810 million in humanitarian, development and security help to Syria and $155 million to Iraq. But it’s just our fair share of United Nations appeals. It’s not conspicuously generous.

Additionally, Harper intends to resettle the next 10,000 Mideast refugees from communities facing “religious persecution and genocide.” That implies Christians, Yazidis, Jews and others. But the vast majority of people in dire need are Muslim. Cherry-picking non-Muslims may please constituencies that Harper is keen to woo but it would run afoul of UN guidelines. Amnesty International Canada has urged Ottawa to process people based on need, not religion.

Finally, Harper expects private sponsors to shoulder much of the financial burden of bringing in future refugees. That too speaks volumes about his government’s sense of urgency, and generosity.

This is more about election optics than compassion.

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