Canada's Justin Trudeau welcomes Syrian refugees

"You are home. Welcome home," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told some of the 163 Syrian refugees who arrived at Toronto's Pearson airport late on Thursday night.

The families were part of the first dedicated Canadian government flight to relocate Syrian refugees from the Middle East. Dozens of Canadian volunteers were waiting for their arrivals, offering a warm welcome to make their transition to a new home halfway around the world a little easier.

The first family to enter the reception center was Kevork Jamkossian, a gynecologist from Aleppo, his wife Georgina Zires, a lab technician, and their 16-month-old daughter Madeleine.

Madeleine Jamkossian, right, arrives with her family, refugees fleeing from Syria, at Pearson International airport, in Toronto, on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015.

IMAGE: NATHAN DENETTE/THE CANADIAN PRESS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

"We really would like to thank you for all this hospitality and the warm welcome," Jamkossian told Trudeau through an interpreter. "We felt ourselves at home."

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