Foreign Affairs Committee on March 24th, 2026

[Gregory Galligan]

We are working with the UN and with other partners whom we trust.

In all our interactions with Hind Kabawat, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, and with other ministries, we always insist on the concept that humanitarian assistance must be free and without restriction.

There can be no barriers. Humanitarian access must be at all times, and that's what we continue to push for.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette—Manawan, QC]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

We'll go next to MP Kramp-Neuman.

You have five minutes.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The focus of my first few questions will be on the different ethnic and faith-based groups in Syria, such as Alawites, Druze, Kurds and Christians.

We can appreciate coordinated assaults involving state forces with affiliated ISIS extremist groups against civilians, with gravity of scales of crimes, including killing and raping, and the capturing of women and children in public squares, homes, hospitals and schools. There have been hundreds identified as dead and thousands injured or captured. Villages have been burned.

My first question is, what exactly is the position of the Canadian government, and why was the government silent on this?

[Gregory Galligan]

I'm not sure I totally understand the question.

In terms of the position of the government, any killing of civilians, any atrocity or any human rights abuse is unacceptable.

To my knowledge, we were not silent on this. I believe ministers have put out statements and other things on this. Certainly, in my own engagements, it's something that comes up regularly.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Thank you.

What was the basis of the government's decision, then, to lift sanctions on a regime that is failing to protect its own people and that has taken part in attacks against civilians?

[Gregory Galligan]

I'll go back to my response to the question on sanctions.

There was evaluation. It certainly has not been a perfect transition, and I don't think anybody would characterize it as such. Any death of civilians or massacre is unacceptable, and the government needs to hold those persons to account.

There have definitely been improvements from where we were to now. March 2026 will likely be the least violent month in 15 years in Syria. I think the total number of people killed is 12—four by UXOs, four from ISIS and four in other events. Those four are unacceptable. The government needs to do more to lower it and put in place structures and systems so that communal violence can't happen.

The decision to remove sanctions is about trying to find a way to support that transition and build a government that is more stable and inclusive.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Is it safe to suggest that the government is supportive of the regime's five-year transitional constitutional framework?

[Gregory Galligan]

I don't think we would take a position on timelines or the process itself.

What we want to do is ensure that whatever the Syrian-led process is, it takes into consideration some of the concerns we have. We want to ensure that we take this time to advance our objectives and concerns around human rights protections, minority inclusion and the participation of women.

If, on one hand, the government decides in three years that it's ready to move forward and there's legislative support and broad community support, and that it results in a process that has been more free and transparent, with full participation among minority communities and women, we would look at that and say that it's been positive. If, on the other hand, this hasn't happened after five or six years, we would say that this probably hasn't been an effective process.

I wouldn't say that the time itself is the consideration. It's really how the Syrians use this time to build a better constitution and a more stable architecture for the country's future.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

That suggests to me the department will probably do an assessment as to the feasibility of the framework itself.

Moving on, has the government done any assessments of the elections held in October of last year?

[Gregory Galligan]

We've definitely looked at how the process was undertaken and the results of that process.

What I'd say is that it certainly wasn't a broad-based democratic process where every Syrian had a vote. It was much more of a—I don't know what the correct terminology is—representative process through selective bodies. It's hard to tell what the future of that will look like. Will it be emulated in a constitutional process? Is that what the Syrians envision for the future, or does the Syrian government envision something more like a broad-based election, where all Syrians have a way to participate?

We haven't been able to go into the exact details of how committees were selected. It wasn't an open and transparent democratic process in that sense.

[Shelby Kramp-Neuman, Conservative, Hastings—Lennox and Addington—Tyendinaga, ON]

Thank you, Your Excellency.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much.

We go next to MP Mona Fortier.

You have five minutes, please.

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Ambassador, thank you for joining us today. We are most grateful.

My thanks also to you for being with us, Ms. McCollom.

The constituency of Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester has a very large Syrian community. A number of them, of course, are refugees now making a life for themselves here. I am often talking about how Canada continues to play a role in Syria. We know that the diaspora is hugely concerned about it.

You mentioned the importance of women's representation. Could you talk to us a little more about that? You mentioned it, but you did not explain what needs to be done to ensure that women are more represented.

How possible is that, do you think? What could we do here, in this country, to encourage women to become involved?

[Gregory Galligan]

Thank you for the question.

I do feel that it is one of the areas where Canada can play a really positive role in Syria. My first meeting in Syria was not with the government. I chose to meet with young members of civil society organizations; most of them were girls. A number of them had been refugees in Canada but had decided to return to Syria.

For me, it's personally important that, in whatever we do, we make an effort to ensure that women's voices are present in the meetings we have. Also, when I go to meetings, I make a point to raise any issues that have been brought to my attention by members of this community.

I also think it's worth highlighting at this moment that there is a very important woman in the cabinet, Ms. Hind Aboud Kabawat. She is a Canadian citizen, and she is a champion for women and for minorities. She is the Minister of Social Affairs, so she has an important role in this. She brings a lot of experience, in terms of what she learned and her experience as a Canadian, to this new role. That's a real positive for Canada.

Also, on the trade side, trade is an area that has been dominated by men.

That's not the case in Syria alone. It's like that all over the region. In February 2026, we organized an iftar in Syria. Our goal was to start a discussion about trade ties between Canada and Syria. I insisted that members of the women's chamber of commerce in Damascus attend.

At the meeting, I met Syrian women entrepreneurs. I also emphasized the message that having women participate in the economy, in society and in politics is a Canadian value that is important for us.

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester, ON]

I am delighted to hear that. I hope that our report will show that we, as a government and as parliamentarians, will still be able to support not only women, but also those who really do want to represent their communities.

Do you have any other recommendations or suggestions for us? You said earlier that declarations are all well and good, that it's fine to make them, but action is what's really important.

Can you recommend any other initiatives to us, as a government or as parliamentarians, so that Canada could contribute to the transition in Syria? I would love to have your opinion.

[Gregory Galligan]

Thank you for the question.

In terms of positive actions that the government or parliamentarians could take, I feel that the next step is to evaluate the options that lifting sanctions has created for Canada.

It was impossible, really, to consider stabilization or development programming in the context of where we were previously. Now there are options, and I think it will be important for us to evaluate those options and to decide where our priorities are.

I'm currently in Lebanon. One of the real successes we've had, with the financial and market collapse in Lebanon, are programs that provide small grants to women entrepreneurs. That might be an interesting model to look at as we try to rebuild civil society, but also as we try to ensure that women have a greater participation in Syria's economic recovery.

Let's see where we are. Right now it's still very early days. We have a long way to go, but we'll definitely have to consider ways that we can support civil society, freedom of speech, free press, all of those. However, I think that women will be at the heart of all those decisions.

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

That brings us to the end of the first panel.

I want to thank both the ambassador and Madam McCollum for appearing before this committee.

Before suspending and organizing for the second panel, I'd like to inform members that the clerk circulated earlier today a draft budget in the amount of $22,350 for the committee's study on Syria. Our next meeting on this study is scheduled for April 14 and we may be welcoming witnesses travelling from Europe. While this is not yet confirmed, it accounts for the proposed amount.

Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt this budget?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you.

We will now suspend for five minutes to get ready for the second panel.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

I call this meeting to order, colleagues.

I would now like to welcome our witnesses for the second hour of this hearing.

We have Dr. Elliot Tepper, distinguished senior fellow, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.

We also have Laurence Deschamps-Laporte, professor of political science and scientific director at the the Montreal Centre for International Studies, Université de Montréal, by video conference.

We expect another witness, Khattar Abou Diab, political analyst and director at the Conseil Géopolitique Perspectives, to join us by video conference, but they're having some technical issues. We hope they'll be able to succeed in joining us.

Up to five minutes will be given for opening remarks, after which we'll proceed with rounds of questions from members of the committee.

I now invite Dr. Tepper to make an opening statement.

[Elliot Tepper, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, As an Individual]

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. It is truly an honour to be here and to spend this time together.

You have my formal credentials. Basically, I'm a lifetime professor of international relations at Carleton University, where I've studied a lot of things, including following the Middle East for a very long time. It's a great honour, indeed, to be here.

I've prepared some opening remarks, but I'd like to give you a one-sentence executive summary, and then I'll try to expand on it a bit. You may not even need much more.

I think that Canada has been handed an extraordinary, totally unexpected opportunity regarding the shifting geopolitics of the region. Nobody saw this coming. I think we have an opportunity to help change and shape the direction of the Middle East, and we should seize upon it in as positive and effective a way as possible. That's my overall view.

You've heard a lot of details already from the distinguished ambassador and the director general. My perspective on this is a bit broader. Whenever I can, I like to quote my favourite philosopher, Yankee catcher Yogi Berra, who said, “The future ain't what it used to be.” That is certainly true when it comes to the region we're talking about now.

As I said, something extraordinary has happened, and we have an opportunity to play a role, and I think we should seize it. That's my central message of the day.

A lot of the specific developments in regard to Syria have already been discussed by the ambassador and the director general.

Syria sits at the heart of a very tumultuous region. It is undergoing an enormous change in a very short time, but I think we have an opportunity to test our own commitment and our own abilities, not only in regard to the Syrian national government but also ourselves. How quickly can we move? How nimble are we? How much can we bring to the table in a very short time when the circumstances are so different?

Why does Syria matter to Canada?

I think the unexpected fall of the Assad regime, as I suggested, provides a genuine geopolitical opportunity, and it's one that we should be pursuing with energy and purpose. For over 50 years, Syria was an Iranian client state. It's a transit corridor for Tehran to arm its proxies in the region, particularly Hezbollah in Lebanon. It was a brutal oppressor of its own people, and it was also a prop for Russian interests. It was a chronic destabilizing force for the whole region, and now it's suddenly gone.

The new government is overtly anti-Iranian. It does seek accommodation with all of its neighbouring states. It has very quickly tried to reintegrate an isolated Syria into the broader international arena. The main thing here is that the Iranian axis of resistance has been broken. It opens things up that weren't available before, and we should take advantage of it.

Canada is already invested, as I suggested. Canada doesn't start from zero when it comes to Syria. We've already heard some of the figures on this, like over $1 billion in humanitarian aid and steadfast support for the White Helmets. This is something in which some of you may have played a role in the past when the White Helmets representatives came here. Now one of those White Helmets is a member of the transitional cabinet in Syria. We, as you know, have taken in over 100,000 refugees, so we have earned goodwill in Syria and we should spend that goodwill effectively.

We also have considerable expertise to offer a transitional Syria. The demand of the hour, humanitarian relief, remains, but nation-building is now on the agenda, and that's an area in which we have considerable expertise. Constitution building, security sector reform, demining and removing noxious materials, we have a whole range of things that Syria needs right now.

By the way, the mention of trade was made earlier. There's a lot of money that's going to be pouring into Syria now, and perhaps we should take advantage of that by opening up trade in a constructive way to help build the country.

What should we expect in return? This engagement is going to come with expectations. When we invest, as we do around the world, we think we should get something that's important to us. Accountability clearly is on the agenda, but the main thing I think to emphasize here is that we have always around the world emphasized our democratic values and our capacity for multilateralism. That combination can be put to use in regard to assessing our impact, looking at what we get out of our engagement with Syria.

However, I think it's important to suggest that we don't have to impose our own standards on the issue of human rights. What we need to do, I think, is to hold Syria to and assist them in achieving what they have said they wish to do in regard to setting up a pluralistic society and a constitution with separate—

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you.