VANCOUVER — An immigration advocate says Canada should not slow down the screening process of Syrian refugees after it was confirmed on the weekend that one of the assailants in Friday’s terror attacks on Paris arrived through Greece with a Syrian passport.

Chris Friesen, with Immigrant Services Society of B.C., said the terror attacks will likely heighten the already comprehensive screening system in place, conducted overseas by highly skilled Canada Border Service agents and members of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

“There are hundreds of Syrians waiting to be reunited with family — children and mothers, parents,” he said, adding that as winter approaches any delay in immigration could be tragic for families without shelter.

“I don’t think we should slow down, but it might require adding resources to ensure a thorough security check is done,” he said Saturday.

The Islamic State has taken credit for the Paris attacks that left at least 129 dead and dozens injured. Now those terror attacks are raising questions about security, screening, and whether the government will change its position on an ambitious plan to quickly bring refugees to Canada.

John McCallum, the new minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, has said the Liberal government intends to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by Jan. 31. Of those, an estimated 2,700 are expected to settle in Metro Vancouver.

McCallum is expected to announce details on Monday or Tuesday about where the refugees will land in Canada.

He has said the federal government is considering using ships and commercial and military aircraft to transport the refugees to Canada, and that some may be housed at Canadian military bases.

On the weekend, a Greek official confirmed one of the assailants in Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris whose Syrian passport was found at the scene crossed into the European Union through the Greek island of Leros on Oct. 3.

Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas, in charge of police forces, said they do not know if the passport was checked by other countries through which the holder likely passed.

He said they will continue with “the painstaking and persistent effort” to ensure the security of Greece and Europe, insisting on complete identification of those arriving.

Friesen said he’s confident in Canada’s process of background checks and health screening of all refugees. He said Canadian visa officers in Beirut study the refugees’ addresses, phone numbers, names, and fact check their stories. He added that staff are trained to find triggers in the sequence of events, or with variations in the stories between family members.

The Toronto Star reported Thursday that the government will conduct some security screening on Canadian soil, but Friesen said all of the refugees’ background checks will have been done before they arrive.

“No one will be allowed on a plane if an alert comes up,” said Friesen.

Asked if any background checks would be done in Canada, Jean-Bruno Villeneuve, a spokesman for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada would only say Saturday that more details will be released soon.