Canada welcomes first group of Syrian refugees

The first military plane carrying Syrian refugees to be resettled in Canada has arrived in the country.

Welcoming the 163 refugees, new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country was "showing the world how to open our hearts".

The newly elected Liberal government has pledged to take in 25,000 refugees by the end of February. Another plane is due in Montreal on Saturday.

Canada's stance on the issue differs sharply to that of the US, which has been reluctant to take in migrants.

Immigration Minister John McCallum said all 10 provinces in Canada are in favour of accepting the refugees.

"This is a great moment for Canada," he said. "This shows the way we really are. It truly is a non-partisan, national project."

Since early November, hundreds of Syrians have already arrived in Canada via commercial aircraft.

A total of about 300 Syrians will arrive this week.

Trudeau, who swept the 19 October Canadian elections, has a different stance on refugees from that of his predecessor, the conservative Stephen Harper, who did not wish to resettle more people.

Unaccompanied men will be excluded from the resettlement programme but officials said this had nothing to do with national security concerns.

"We want them to have a roof over their head, and the right support," said McCallum.

"It takes a bit of time to put that all in place. We're happy to take a little more time than originally planned to bring our new friends into the country."

Those who will be considered refugees include families, women deemed to be at risk, and gay men and women.