Mr. Speaker, I would like to start off by saying that we thoroughly and completely condemn the appalling and inhumane actions of Daesh in Syria and Iraq. Its members have committed terrible atrocities against religious and ethnic communities and vulnerable populations in the region. This includes appalling levels of violence committed against Christians and Yazidis, Turkmen, Sabean-Mandaeans, Druze, Kurds, Shia and Sunni Arabs.

Christians are among those who, because of their smaller numbers, have borne a very heavy, indeed, a terrible and tragic burden. While many armed opposition groups in Syria have pledged to protect Syria's vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities, sectarian rhetoric has inspired incitement to hatred and violence against various religious and ethnic communities. We must take every step possible to ensure accountability for these crimes.

That is why Canada has formally requested the UN Security Council to establish a mechanism to investigate the potential violations of international law by Daesh. This includes the crime of genocide.

We have also provided $7.5 million to the Commission for International Justice and Accountability to investigate violations of international humanitarian law and criminal law in both Syria and Iraq.

Canada is also playing an important military role in fighting Daesh through our role in the global coalition. Our government has also welcomed vulnerable refugees from the region to Canada, as has already been mentioned by my hon. colleague. This is something that I know many Canadians are very proud of, and as a former soldier who has dedicated a portion of his life to fighting terrorism, I applaud this initiative.

Under our government, Canada will remain a partner to the people of the region who have suffered so needlessly and so tragically. That is why we are looking to help the future of the populations that have been affected. What matters to many now is how they can go about rebuilding their lives and their communities. Canada can and will play an important role in ensuring that vulnerable communities across Syria and Iraq, including Christians, are allowed to live in peace and security.

To this end, we are committing $840 million in humanitarian assistance to United Nations agencies. The International Committee of the Red Cross will also benefit from this as will international non-governmental organizations to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in Syria, Iraq and the region.

In 2017, with funding from Canada and other donors, humanitarian partners reached 5.3 million people in Syria with food assistance; 1.8 million people in Iraq with emergency water and sanitation activities; and over 4.5 million beneficiaries in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan with sexual and reproductive health services.

By helping to address the underlying causes of the crisis in Syria and Iraq, and at the same time carrying the fight to Daesh through combat action and combat support, we will continue to contribute to the efforts to improve the security and rights of ordinary Iraqis and Syrians who are most affected.

We strongly believe that religious freedom is a vital and fundamental human right and one that should be strongly protected. That is why in July my colleague, the former parliamentary secretary, represented Canada at the first U.S.-sponsored ministerial to advance religious freedom. We joined 80 other countries in condemning the systemic ongoing egregious abuses of religious freedom perpetrated by terrorists and violent extremist groups, specifically Daesh.

Canada will continue to support all affected populations.

Andrew Leslie

Transcript

Adjournment Proceedings

Discussions (0)