Foreign Affairs Committee on Oct. 16th, 2012

[Susan Johnson]

As to your first question, I'm not in a position to make a comment. I would only say that it would be the approach of the Red Cross/Red Crescent and any medical professional to treat anybody who needs assistance.

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

I appreciate that this would be your mandate and your credo, but I'm wondering whether in the course of discharging that mandate you have noticed a difference in the character and representation of the rebels you are assisting.

[Susan Johnson]

I'm not in a position to make a comment in regard to that.

In regard to your second question, which I thought I remembered and now I don't....

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

I asked whether we should be establishing humanitarian corridors or safe havens.

[Susan Johnson]

Thank you for the prompt. Certainly, I think it would be the position of the International Red Cross that we would be very much in favour of anything that could be done to create access, to provide more assurance that we can move supplies and to create environments in which international or local humanitarian workers can work in greater elements of security and safety—as well as civilian populations, who want to have a safe environment.

[Stéphane Michaud]

In Syria you can divide the areas into three categories: currently under government control, under non-government control, or under intermittent control. Access is very good in both the government and the non-government areas. It's most difficult in the areas under intermittent control, and every access to that humanitarian space is negotiated day by day and case by case. It's proven most difficult and not always successful.

As for relief coming in from neighbouring countries, that's not an issue. The issue is really to get to these what we call grey areas, the zones under intermittent control.

[Irwin Cotler, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Do you see a clear definition of areas under control, for example, that the northern rural part is increasingly under opposition control, and then in the grey areas, Damascus, Aleppo, you have ongoing battles. Are we finding that government and opposition are being more clearly delineated in the areas under control?

[Stéphane Michaud]

All I would say is that it's shifting weekly. I'm not going to comment on….

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you very much.

We'll move to the second round. We'll have time for two quick questions. We're going to Mr. Dechert, and then we'll finish up with Mr. Dewar.

Mr. Dechert, you have five minutes.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Johnson, how are Canadians responding to the Red Cross call for contributions to the refugee relief effort?

[Susan Johnson]

There's some response. It's not massive. We are appealing. If you were to go to our website, you would see that you would have the opportunity to contribute to the work of the International Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent through the Canadian Red Cross. As I mentioned, so far we've contributed $175,000 to the effort. We have had some support from Canadians, but not a massive response.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Has the Syrian Canadian community been involved? Have they worked with the Red Cross and the Red Crescent to help raise funds?

[Susan Johnson]

Yes. In the spring we had an arrangement with a Syrian Canadian organization in Montreal, where we did a joint activity, a joint fundraiser, and the funds went to the Canadian Red Cross.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Is the Red Cross in ongoing, active communication with members of the Syrian Canada diaspora about this issue?

[Susan Johnson]

We are. I would say most actively in the Montreal area.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Okay, but not so much in the Toronto area.

[Susan Johnson]

With any diaspora population, frankly, we maintain a pretty active dialogue, especially when there are moments of particular crisis in their home country. We are in active discussion with them about what the situation might be, what support through the Red Cross would mean, ensuring that they understand who we are and what we can achieve with the support they might offer, absolutely.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Is there more that can be done to encourage Canadians, all Canadians, to contribute more to this effort? What would you suggest?

[Susan Johnson]

It's important for Canadians to know that they have a reliable, credible channel through the Canadian Red Cross to the International Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. We've done a fair bit to get that message out.

I think it's fair to say, though, that Canadians find it challenging in any conflict situation to.... At least, we find that in conflict situations, Canadians—and not Canadians alone—are sometimes a little bit more reluctant to respond than they can be to what we call a sudden-onset natural disaster. I think part of that is that they may well have questions as to how reliable we.... Are we able to deliver what we say? Who is going to receive the assistance?

The situation we're facing in Syria and the region is not unlike other conflict situations around the world where we're also very active.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Hopefully, the fact that the Canadian government is supporting your efforts will help solve or answer some of those questions for the average Canadian citizen who is trying to decide how they can assist and who they should be contributing to. If the Canadian government is satisfied that the International Red Cross is the right organization, then presumably that can be a guide for the rest of the Canadian population that might want to contribute.

Is there anything that the Syrian Canadian community is asking the Red Cross to do, in particular in providing services? Are they supplying you with information about what's happening to their friends and relatives? Are they asking for something more that perhaps the Red Cross can't provide but that some other agency could?

[Susan Johnson]

Thank you.

The fact that the Canadian government has been able to be as generous as it has been to the response efforts of the International Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent is testimony to the importance of the Canadian government having the humanitarian assistance budget envelope that it has and its ability to make those kinds of decisions, whether or not the Canadian public en masse is excited about something. It is really important that governments have that kind of capacity.

In the dialogue we have with the Syrian Canadian community, they are of course bringing to our attention what they might know from their friends and relatives and so on inside the country. We take that information into account. I think their biggest concern is that we continue to support the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and that the work they do in-country is reaching all areas of the country and reaching the people in most need.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you very much.

We're going to finish with Mr. Dewar. You have five minutes, please.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Thank you.

Thank you to our guests for coming before committee; it's not the first time.

With regard to the funding gap, if we can call it that, do you have a number? You mentioned some numbers, what the asks were and what the response was. Is there a global kind of number on that, what both organizations are looking for in terms of moneys?

[Susan Johnson]

A global number?

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Ballpark.