First wave of Syrian refugees to arrive in Canada on Thursday

The first of 25,000 Syrian refugees to be resettled in Canada will arrive in the country on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday, declaring it will be "a great day."

The new prime minister campaigned on the plan to resettle 25,000 people displaced by the four-year civil war in Syria, but the idea came under increasing political fire following the attacks in Paris.