Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be here tonight to address this issue. The member opposite talks about the safety of Canadians and about coming to mini solutions for a complex question. She wants to see clear objectives, and I can address some of those questions tonight.
Our response to the crisis in Iraq is multifaceted. Coalition air strikes, including Canada's, are just one element in this response. They are conducted in support of Iraqi security forces, which are carrying out ground operations against ISIL.
The Iraqi government has sought the assistance of coalition countries to stop ISIL's advance, which was accompanied by horrific human rights abuses against civilians. I just recently heard at the foreign affairs committee that indeed that advance seemed to have been stopped. However, standing by while ISIL was killing, raping and terrorizing millions of people was not an option. Nor can we stand by knowing that ISIL's barbaric agenda is not limited just to Syria and Iraq and that its twisted ideology is making inroads even in our own country.
In addition to conducting air strikes, Canada has deployed several dozen Canadian Armed Forces members to advise and assist Iraqi security forces engaged in the fight against ISIL. Further, Canada has provided strategic airlift support for military and for contributing allies.
We have also provided Iraqi forces with significant volumes of non-lethal equipment. Just last week, Kurdish peshmerga forces were telling our ambassador to Iraq that this equipment was saving lives on the front line.
However, Canada's response is not limited to military contributions. I know my colleague across the way will be glad to hear that we are working with partners to impede the flow of foreign fighters at source, transit and destination countries. This includes our active involvement in the Global Counterterrorism Forum's working group on foreign terrorist fighters. While in Baghdad last September, our minister announced $5 million to support regional efforts to limit the movement of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria.
On the domestic front, we have strengthened our laws to make it a criminal offence to leave Canada for the purpose of participating in or facilitating terrorist activities. We have broadened the grounds for passport revocation and allowed for the stripping of citizenship for dual nationals engaged in those activities. We have taken steps to stop ISIL's financing and funding. ISIL is listed as a terrorist organization under Canada's Criminal Code. Our financial institutions have an obligation now to freeze ISIL's assets and to disclose details of those assets to law enforcement. Canada is also actively contributing to efforts by the international community to disrupt and prevent ISIL financing.
We are working with partners to address humanitarian needs in the region. We have contributed over $403 million in humanitarian assistance since January 2012 in response to the Syria crisis and over $67 million in response to the Iraqi crisis since January 2014. Canada's assistance has reached tens of millions of people.
We are also horrified by ISIL's heinous acts of sexual violence, prompting a commitment of $10 million to deal with those issues. We believe it is important also to undermine ISIL's narrative. In Canada, we are doing this through outreach events and working with our allies.
Last, we are supporting the Iraqi government. Since June 2014, Iraq has become one of our development partners. We are committed to strengthening commercial relations with them, and we have a very active team of diplomats, led by Ambassador Saccomani, who are in constant communication with Iraqi authorities.
We will continue to use the means at our disposal to help Iraqis build social and economic foundations for recovery and growth.