In the wake of last week’s devastating attacks in France, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees into Canada by the end of the year is coming under renewed scrutiny.

A number of online petitions and social media postings have asked the government to stop the immigration process entirely.

Others have said that they would like to see Canada continue accepting refugees, but want to ensure proper screening procedures are followed.

“We have a responsibility to ourselves (and) to our country to be careful,” Matt Sheehy, director of Guelph-based Jetana Security, told CTV News.

“It’s not about compassion right now – we have to deal with reality.”

The Liberal government says refugees will have to undergo a number of security checks by agencies like CSIS, the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP.

Critics are particularly taking issue with the speed at which refugee claims would have to be processed in order to meet the 25,000 number by the end of the year.

“I don’t think that any reasonable person can think that this is practical, or you’re going to be able to vet these people properly,” Sheehy said.

The head of Ontario’s chapter of the Mennonite Central Committee, which is helping resettle refugees locally, says he’s OK with a delayed program if it means more time can be spent developing a program which meets the refugees’ needs.

“We don’t want them to languish longer than they need to,” Rick Cober Bauman said in an interview.

Cober Bauman says MCC has received a strong response from the community, particularly around financial needs and refugee sponsorship.

The support has been so strong, he said, that the organization has already beefed up its staffing – and may have to make further hires.

“We’ve been blessed by the way that this community, and many others around Ontario, have stepped up,” he said.

In a letter released publicly on Monday, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall called on Trudeau to suspend the refugee initiative in the wake of last week’s attacks in Paris, France which left 129 people dead and 350 more wounded.

“Surely we do not want to be date-driven or numbers-driven in an endeavour that may affect the safety of our citizens and the security of our country,” he wrote.

“If even a small number of individuals who wish to do harm to our country are able to enter Canada as a result of a rushed refugee resettlement process, the results could be devastating,” he said.

That scenario is unlikely to come to pass, Cober Bauman said, as potential terrorists could find easier ways to enter the country.

“Coming as a refugee would be a fairly difficult way for someone with really ill intent to wend their way through the system and find themselves in Canada,” he said.

Reservations about the timetable were also expressed by Quebec’s immigration minister.

“I don’t think it’s possibly by the end of the year,” said Kathleen Weil.

Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins said his province stands by its commitment to take in as many as 10,000 Syrian refugees through 2016.

“I’m confident the process the federal government is working on will take into account the legitimate security needs and concerns that Ontarians might have,” he said.

In the United States, more than a dozen states have said they will not allow any Syrian refugees to settle within their borders.

With files from The Canadian Press