Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Feb. 25th, 2019

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

I've just consulted with the clerk that it's not a motion. It's a request. I'm going to hold it for a moment, and this gives me a chance to explain to the witnesses.

Monsieur Beuze, I know, has been here often enough to know that this does happen, and that during a member's seven-minute time, he or she may take time to move a motion that has had due notice. This is a motion that came to the committee in February, on February 11, so we do have the required notice for it.

The member, as long as he or she does not get redundant and speaks to the motion, has the floor for as long as he or she wants. I want to note to the committee members that we do have further witnesses who have come to discuss the millions of people who are displaced and at risk in Latin America, in Central and South America. Unfortunately, one of them will have to leave right at 5:30 and may or may not get to speak to the important issues that we had on our agenda today.

With that said, I'm going to hold the request to suspend until Ms. Rempel perhaps finishes, and then we'll have a time to suspend.

Ms. Rempel.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

I will continue with this, but I would like to say that I think there was an implication in your comment that this is not important, and I would argue the exact opposite.

To the witnesses who are in the room, sometimes you need to fight the government to get action, and that's what I'm doing for a group of genocide survivors that has not had action from this government.

The next case, and why I believe that this particular—

[Marwan Tabbara, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

A point of order, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

We have a point of order.

[Marwan Tabbara, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Just to put it on the record, the member mentioned that there's no action from this government. I would argue the contrary. I believe the genocide—

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

That's not a point of order, Mr. Chairman. That's debate. He shouldn't be allowed to ramble on like that.

[Marwan Tabbara, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

I would mention that—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

This is debate, Chair.

[Marwan Tabbara, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

I would mention that in 2014—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

On a point of order, this—

[Marwan Tabbara, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

I'll retract the—

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

I recognize that this is a point of debate. The member has framed it as such and the committee can hear what he says, but we'll get back to that point later. Thank you.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Thank you.

The next letter states: “I am requesting your help reuniting with my family so that I can resettle successfully in Canada. I arrived in Canada in December 2017 with my wife and two daughters. Pre-ISIS, I was a student until 2010. I had to quit because I had work as a house cleaner for four years to support my family. When ISIS arrived I was at home. Normally when I work, I am in a different city far away from home. As soon as we realized what they were going to do to us we fled to the mountains. We stayed in the mountains for seven days. One of my brothers stayed behind to help our neighbour who was going into labour. Eventually my brother arrived in the mountains safely with our neighbour. We left the mountains, walking about four hours to the Syrian border. Upon arrival at the border we were greeted by PKK fighters who provided us with vehicles. We were able to make it to a town where we lived in a school for about three months. After that, we were transferred to another camp. We were in that camp until we left for Canada. I still have family members in that camp. While I was in camp I was working with some NGOs. Here are the following family members that are surviving and their location.”

Then it lists mother, brother, sister-in-law, brother. Again, people that would be eligible under the safe third country agreement aren't eligible under this.

It continues: “The separation of our family”—and there are numerous names here—has affected me in every way you can imagine. We cannot stop thinking about them. Their living conditions are not good. It is not safe for them over there. It is difficult to concentrate in school because we are worried about our family. I would ask the Canadian government to help bring my family over to Canada. My mother's health is poor and the living conditions are not good. My brother recently got into an accident and is now handicapped. They need our help.”

Again, this one is from Calgary: “I am writing to request your help in reuniting me with my fiancée”—he gives the name—“who is currently living in Zakho in an abandoned building. I am very concerned about my fiancée. Her mental health is suffering due to having survived imprisonment with ISIS. Since her escape from captivity she has been living in very difficult conditions. She is living in an abandoned building with seven other people. She is constantly fearful for her safety. She does not have any resources and is living in poverty. We were engaged several months ago and we need to be reunited in order to start our life together. We would like to start a family. Our separation is painful. It is difficult for me to resettle and I am worried about her safety in Iraq. During my interview prior to coming to Canada I told the officials about her. We would like her to come and join me in Canada so that we can start our life together, including having a family of our own. Please help me reunite with her.”

As you know, Chair, and you can imagine, I get all of these letters so I feel that it's important justification for this motion.

The next letter states: “I am writing to request your help in reuniting me with my family. I came to Canada as part of the victims of Daesh program in December 2017 after being held in captivity with ISIS for nine months, where I was abused, raped and tortured. Before ISIS came to Sinjar I was living with my mother, father, four brothers and their families in a village called Tal Banat where we worked in farming and construction. One day ISIS came to our village and we were forced to flee to Sinjar, where we were surrounded by ISIS. In a bombing perpetuated by ISIS my sister and mother-in-law were killed. Eventually ISIS invaded Sinjar and confronted us, giving us an ultimatum: convert to Islam or be killed. In order to save our lives we converted to Islam.”

It continues: “Our lives may have been spared but our torment was only beginning. We were held hostage where we could smell the decaying flesh from mass graves and saw the dead bodies rotting in the streets. Later the girls and unmarried women were sold to Muslim men. Eventually I was transported to an army base in Mosul, where my ISIS captors tried to marry me off to Muslim men. However, I have a disability and confined to a wheelchair so I could not be married off. I was kept in a prison in deplorable conditions where I could not bathe and never had enough to eat. I was then transferred to another prison and transferred again”—I'm not mentioning the location—“where I was put up for sale. An organization paid for me and my mother to be released and then a few days later we were given our freedom. After our release my mother and I travelled to Zakho, where we lived in a camp there. In this camp our living conditions were difficult. It was hot. There was not enough to eat and there were no services. Eventually I was chosen for resettlement to Canada as part of the victims for Daesh program. I came with my sister and her two children. Unfortunately, my mother was not chosen for resettlement and I had to leave her behind. She remains in Iraq with my father, brothers and sisters. My brothers remain in this camp in order to wait for relatives who continue to be in captivity with ISIS. My sisters are also living in these camps. They are suffering and want to join me in Canada.”

It continues: “I am writing to request the following members be brought to us in Canada”, and he lists them: daughters, sisters and parents. “They are living in very difficult conditions in these camps, and they are living in tents and dangerous conditions. In fact, there are frequent fires, and my sister's tent burned down and her father-in-law was killed in the fire. They do not have enough food, money or health care, and they continue to be at severe risk of persecution. I am very worried about my family. I am always thinking about them. Because my mind is always in Kurdistan, I am unable to concentrate in school. Therefore, I am having difficulty learning English. Because I know what it is like to live in this camp, I understand the suffering of my family members who remain there. In addition, I have a disability and am in a wheelchair. I am unable to leave the house without help. Therefore, I need my family to join me in Canada so that they can help me successfully resettle in Canada. I have applied for reunification with my family, but the application was denied. I am desperate to have my family here and fear I will not have peace until my family is by my side. Please help me reunite with my family so that they can be safe and we can build a future together in Canada.”

Here's another: “I am writing today to ask the Canadian government to help the Yazidis and help me reunite with my family. I arrived in Canada in August 2017. I arrived with my sister, my wife and two kids. In 2014, ISIS came to our village and captured my family for eight days. We were able to escape, and fled to the Sinjar Mountains and then Kurdistan, which is in northern Iraq. My life here in Canada is good, but I am always thinking about my family and our people back home. I hope the government can reunite me with my family. My sister is living in Kurdistan with her husband and two children. My sister said [that] life in the camp is very poor. They are under threat of persecution, and the government there is not able to give money to pay for food. Every time I speak to my sister, she is crying and asking [me] to bring her to Canada. I care about her and become very sad thinking about her. I appreciate that the Canadian government is bringing us here. I hope the Canadian government can help the Yazidis who are still living in camps, especially our families. The living conditions in the camps are very poor. There is no medicine and no food and no water. It is not safe for Yazidis to live in the camps. We still have a lot of women and their children in captivity with ISIS, and [we] need help to find them.”

Here's another: “I am writing you today to ask for help to reunite with my family. I arrived in Canada in December 2017 with my sister-in-law and her children. On August 3, 2014, ISIS came into my village and was forcing us to convert to be Muslim, and they threatened us, to kill us all. I stayed in the village for nine days. While ISIS was eating dinner on the 10th day, my father, brother and others fled from the village. We walked to the mountains because it was not safe to stay there. We made our way to Kurdistan. Over 1,500 families lived in a school in Kurdistan for about three months. I then moved to another camp with my father, two brothers and nephew. One brother is still held in captivity with ISIS, and we do not know where he is right now. My mother and sister with a disability were released from ISIS in 2015 and 2016. My sister is now living in Canada. I hope the Canadian government can help bring my cousin here. He is living in a camp with his wife and two children since 2014. He lost both his parents while they were trying to flee the mountains. When I talk to my cousin, he is not living a good life in the camp. He completed university, but he is not able to go to school or work while living in the camp. There is also no food, no water, no medicine in the camp. The government brought us here, but we are still not feeling safe. We are also very scared that ISIS will kill our family back at home. Please help me bring my family to Canada.”

Here's another: “I am writing today because I am suffering from my ongoing separation from my family, who are captives of ISIS. I arrived in Canada in September 2017 as part of the program. In Iraq, I was captured by ISIS on August 3, 2014, and held in captivity for two and a half years. I was taken to different places and sold six times in the sexual slave trade. I was taking medications for my mental health problems. Since arriving in September 2017 alone, I do not feel okay because I am separated from my family and I feel alone. I am currently living with a family of five members because I arrived alone. To help me with my mental health, I have been talking to a therapist. Since arriving in Canada, I have been told that my abdominal pain is due to taking too many medications. I have stopped taking my medications because I'm feeling tired and sleepy. After the session, I have very bad headaches.

It continues: “Please help me bring my family over to help me resettle into Canada successfully. I would like to ask the Canadian government to help bring over my family. My sister was released from ISIS on April 4, 2018, and is currently living in a camp in Iraq. I would also like to bring over my mother, who was released from ISIS captivity in 2016 and is also living in a camp. Both my mother and sister suffer from mental health problems. My brother is also living in a camp in Iraq. My other brother is still in ISIS captivity, and we don't know where he is right now. He was engaged to be married to a woman about one month before he was captured by ISIS. He has been living in a camp in Iraq and she is waiting for my brother. She has put her life on hold, as she is waiting for him and does not want to marry anyone else. My older brother is living alone in Germany, and I would want him here in Canada with the rest of my family. I appreciate the government's help in bringing me here. However, I have mental health problems, and I'm living with another family just so I don't have to be alone. Because I don't have my family here, I cannot focus on my school and I cannot focus on my life here in Canada. I cannot sleep well and I cannot eat. I am always worrying about my family back home, because it's not safe for them. If I tell you I am okay here, I would be lying. Yes, I am here and I am safe, but I cannot live on my own, because I am scared that someone will do what ISIS did to me. I appreciate every country that is taking the Yazidis, but ISIS caused our family to be separated, and I want my family all together now. Please help bring my family to be safe here in Canada.”

Here's another: “I am writing to request your help in reuniting me with my family. I came to Canada as part of the program in December 2017, after living in a refugee camp for a year and a half. I came to Canada with my son and daughter. My family of five daughters, three sons and husband were destroyed by ISIS. My husband and daughter were killed by ISIS. I have two daughters in Germany. My other two sons and my precious daughter are living in precarious living conditions in a camp in Kurdistan. My daughter is also living in this camp after being released by ISIS following three years of captivity, during which she was abused and tortured. She is struggling with her mental health as a consequence of her torture. In fact, she committed suicide a few months ago by jumping off the upper floor of a building and suffering multiple fractures as a result. For her mental health to recover, she needs the support of her mother and sister who currently reside in Calgary. Because she does not have access to adequate health care, she is in constant pain from her fractures. She does not have enough money to buy what she needs. She is dependent on handouts from the international community for food. In Kurdistan she has no future. I am writing to plead with you to bring my daughter to Canada. I would also like my surviving sons to be brought to Canada. My sons are.... He is to be married to.... They have one son. I would like my family to be reunited in Canada so that they can be safe and have a future. I am also very worried about my niece, who is deaf and mute and living alone in a camp. Her entire family has been killed by ISIS, and she is alone and vulnerable in the camp. Because of her medical condition, she is at risk of violence and crime. I am so worried about her, and I would like her to join me in Canada so that she can be safe and have the chance for a peaceful future. I worry about my children and niece all the time. I have never had any peace of mind. I have difficulty concentrating, because I worry about my family. I will not have peace until all of my children are safe. Please help me reunite with my children so that they can be safe and build a future in Canada.”

Here's another: “I am writing today because I want the Canadian government to help the Yazidi people and help bring my family over to Canada. In August 2014, ISIS captured my cousin, myself, and my two daughters and took us to Syria, where we stayed for four months. My two daughters and I were able to escape from ISIS, and my brother was able to help me get back to my husband in Iraq. I arrived in Canada in September 2017 with other Yazidi refugees. I arrived with my husband and four kids. Since arriving in Canada, I feel I am here in a safe place with my family, but I constantly worry about the rest of my family back home, because there is no food and no water. I would like to ask the Canadian government to safely bring over my family members. My mother passed away a long time ago, when I was a kid. My brother has been living in a tent in the mountains in Sinjar since fleeing from ISIS in 2014. He is currently living with his wife and daughter. My father is also living in the Sinjar mountains with his wife, in a separate tent from my brother.”

It continues: “I would also like to ask that the government bring over my sister who is living in a camp in Iraq. ISIS killed her husband, leaving her to raise five children on her own, and she is relying on the generosity of others to get food for the children. My other sister is living in a refugee camp in Iraq. I don't know the name of the camp, and I have not been in contact with her for almost two years. I am not able to resettle successfully in Canada because I am separated from my family. I was always with my brother and my sister, and we were all happy together. I appreciate that the Canadian government has done a lot for me and my family, and I hope they can continue to help the other Yazidis, because they need a lot of help. I have witnessed many horrible things since my mother passed away, and I hope the government can help bring my family here.”

Another—

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

I'm going to interrupt you for one moment.

It is 4:30 p.m., and the honourable member has been speaking for 37 minutes. We have come to the end of our first hour of this meeting.

At this point, Mr. Beuze, I'm going to recognize that your time is now finished.

We have a second panel. I'm very prepared to continue the meeting after 5:30, if Ms. Rempel wants to continue. We could go to the witnesses who have travelled to be with us today.

If you would prefer to continue, that's also your right.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Thank you. I will continue.

Here's another: “I am writing today to help”....

For folks who are here, I should say that this is something we have had to fight the government on tooth and nail.

I appreciate that the UN is here today. I know that the United Nations, especially with the refugee resettlement component, is under an inordinate amount of pressure. There are 65 million people on the move—by their own accounts—in the world today.

However, there's a very difficult conversation we have to have as a global community. It's not a conversation that's comfortable. It's not one that's politically sexy, and it's not a conversation that immediately results in a photo opportunity at an airport, and that is, who are the world's most vulnerable?

It's not a great conversation to have, but certainly the point I'm trying to make today, and also trying to convince my colleagues of, is that we need to have a study on this. There are people here who have survived genocide, sexual slavery, and are being told that they don't have the same ability to be eligible to come to Canada as a refugee as somebody who has reached upstate New York.

So I will read another—

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Before you continue, out of courtesy to the witnesses, could I ask in your estimation how long you will go, so I could tell them that they should leave?

I'm prepared to call extra meetings this week. To let the committee members know, we could have quite lengthy meetings this week.

I would just like the member to let us know whether or not I should release the witnesses who have been invited at your request to come today.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Well, we have, I don't know, several hundred—

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

We don't have them; you do.

How many do you have?

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

There are several hundred cases such as this, so it will go probably for the rest of the meeting, but we'll see. I will continue.

Another—

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Well, I will let the witnesses know then that we will not be having a second panel today to discuss the issue of migration from Venezuela and Central America and South America.

However, I'm going to suspend for a moment, because it is also important for the committee to take a little break as we normally do at an hour.

I will suspend the meeting for a few moments for the committee to take a necessary biological break. We will resume shortly.

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

I call the meeting back to order.

The first thing I will do is ask if I have unanimous consent to receive the testimony that has been prepared in writing by at least some of the witnesses who will be presenting in the second hour. Do I have unanimous consent to have that presented into testimony, to be used in our report?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Thank you.

[See appendix—Written testimony by Rachel Kiddell-Monroe]

[See appendix—Written testimony by Rodrigo Dominguez Villegas]

Ms. Rempel.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Thank you.

Yes, Chair, I would also like to acknowledge the presence in the room today of members from the Yazidi community, specifically the Canadian Yazidi Association. I would like to thank them for their work in bringing this issue to the attention of Canadians.

I want to be clear, too, that these are letters that have been written to members of Parliament, and I believe also to the immigration minister in some instances. The feedback I get is that these letters are often not responded to, so I think it's important to give them voice in support of the motion we have before us today.

The next one is as follows: “I'm writing you today to request your help for reuniting my family members who are still in Iraq. I truly believe that the only way for me to successfully resettle in Canada and become an active member in my community is to bring my family together once again. Even with all the help I'm currently receiving in Calgary, I don't think I will ever be able to feel at ease in Canada as long as my family is not safe here with me. I arrived in Calgary in March 2018 with my sister and two of my brothers. Before ISIS started attacking my people, I was living with my family in the city of Kocho near Sinjar. I was working at home, taking care of my family. The day ISIS attacked our town, I was in Erbil for a doctor's appointment. After hearing the news, I fled through the Duhok region. However, my parents and my siblings were in Kocho when it was attacked by ISIS.

The letter continues: After many months of captivity, my three siblings who came with me to Canada managed to escape ISIS and meet me in the Ronga camp”—apologies if I am butchering some of the names here—“but ISIS had already murdered my parents. My other sister was also captured by ISIS, and her whereabouts are still unknown. We had to pay $20,000 to a smuggler for him to go liberate my brothers captured by ISIS. My sister, who is here with me in Canada, was liberated by the Iraqi troops months later, when they reached Mosul. She then joined us in the camp. After that, I stayed with my siblings in the camp until coming here to Canada. Here is a list of all my family members who are still alive with their current location.” They list a sister, brother, sister-in-law, aunt and two cousins. “Being separated from my family has greatly affected me. I think about them every day. This ultimately prevents me from focusing on my new life in Canada and moving on to better things. My family members are living in terrible living conditions at the moment, and it is simply not safe for them over there. They do not have access to clean water, electricity or health care. This constant worry has had a significant negative impact on my mental health. Also, my sister and one of my brothers have serious mental health problems due to their separation from the rest of our family members. Being the oldest sibling in Canada, I have to take care of my younger siblings, which is extremely difficult for me. Bringing my older siblings to Canada would help me greatly to take care of my family. We have already started a community here in Calgary, which would really facilitate the integration of the rest of my family. I hope the Canadian government will sympathize with my situation and bring my family over to Canada. My family and I really need your help.”

Another states: “I am requesting your help reuniting with my family—”

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Yes, Mr. Sarai.