Evidence of meeting #145 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was living.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Jean-Nicolas Beuze  Representative in Canada, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

5:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

Thank you for voicing your opinion. You don't have the floor.

We will now continue with Ms. Rempel.

February 25th, 2019 / 5:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Thank you.

This letter states: “I am writing to you today to request your help in reuniting with some of my family members who are still in Iraq. Even with all of the help I am currently receiving in Calgary, I don't think I'm going to be able to feel at ease in Canada as long as my family is not safe with me here. I arrived in Calgary in January of 2017 with my husband and my son. Before ISIS started attacking my people, we were living in a village called Wardiya in Iraq. I was working at home taking care of my family when ISIS attacked at night. We stayed in our village hiding for eight days, when we managed to escape. We escaped to the mountains for a few weeks. We then walked to the Syrian border, where we stayed in incomplete houses. We stayed in this camp until coming here to Canada. Some of my siblings were captured and I don't know their whereabouts. My other family members who are still alive are waiting in the camps, in terrible conditions.” They list all of the remaining family members, including a son, brother-in-law, sister, a brother, and a brother and sister-in-law.

It continues: “ 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 conditions at the moment, and it is simply not safe for them over there. This constant worry has had a significant impact on my mental health and I have difficulty functioning. My sister and my son in Iraq are suffering from severe PTSD, and the situation in the camps only makes it worse. My brother-in-law also suffers from a heart condition and cannot get appropriate treatment in the camps. We have already started a community here in Calgary, and we would facilitate the integration of the rest of my family. I hope the Canadian government will sympathize with my situation and help bring my family over to Canada. My family and I really need your help.”

This is a different letter, to be clear: “I arrived in Canada on September 19, 2017 with my three children. On August 3, 2014, ISIS captured the people in my village and separated the men from the women and children. Since that day, I have not heard what happened to my husband. My three children and I stayed in Telafer for 20 days. After that, ISIS sold me and my children into the sexual trade, and we lived in Syria for three years. We were sold 16 different times, living in different places with different men. My children and I ran away from the man who bought us.” She goes through the different places where she was bought and sold:

It continues: We reached Peshmerga, and then Kurdistan. We lived in a camp starting in October of 2016, and we lived there until we came to Canada. Our lives in the camp were bad because there was no food and no money and my parents were not with me. To this day, I do not know what happened to my father and brothers. I know that ISIS took them, but I don't know if they are alive or dead. My mother was released after being in ISIS captivity for a year and a half and is now living in the camp in Kurdistan. She lives with my sister. Her husband took her one child away. My uncle lives in a camp with his wife, daughter, one son, who is married and has three children, my uncle's other daughter-in-law lost her husband when ISIS killed him. She is left to survive with her two daughters. My husband's uncle is living with his wife and four children in a camp. Since arriving in Canada, I am upset and keep thinking about my family. As soon as I leave school, I forget everything I learnt. I hope the Canadian government can help us bring our family here.”

Here's another request: “I came to Canada in November 2017 after my family and I were forced to flee from our homes when ISIS invaded our village. I arrived in Calgary with my husband and four children and my sister and her five children, two of whom have significant developmental problems. Before ISIS, I lived with my extended family in a village in Iraq. We farmed the land and were happy with our lives. After ISIS came, we ran away to the mountains. Unfortunately, my sister and her husband and children were captured by ISIS. Eventually, we travelled to Kurdistan, and then onward to Turkey in search of safety. We lived in Turkey for four months, then returned to Kurdistan, where we lived in various places before settling in Shikhan, where we lived in an abandoned building. We moved to a village called”—I'm going to omit some of the village names for confidentiality.

It continues: “My sister was eventually released from captivity and had the opportunity to come to Canada as my sister's companion for resettlement. My sister and I are safe in Canada but our family continues to suffer in Iraq. The situation is not safe for my family there. They continue to be at risk of persecution and of violence. I worry about them all the time. My constant worrying is causing me great difficulty with learning. I have trouble remembering what the teacher tells me and I have difficulty learning English. Moreover, my sister and I need the support of our family in order to help raise our nine children, two of whom are medically complex. My two nieces who are here in Canada with me have significant developmental issues and require a lot of attention and care, including frequent trips to the Alberta Children's Hospital. We are struggling with child care and managing the busy schedule of nine children. My sister and I would benefit from having our parents and siblings here with us. The family whom I need to be reunited with”—and there's a long list of family members, sisters, brothers....

It goes on: “I am now living in safety in Canada and I am grateful to be safe. However, I continue to be plagued by worry for my family who remain in Iraq. These worries prevent me from sleeping and from learning English. I am struggling in Canada, where it is difficult caring for a large family while trying to adjust to a new culture, a new environment, a new language. I need the help of my family. Please help reunite my remaining family so we can support each other and heal from our trauma.”

This is a different letter: “I am writing to request your help in reuniting me with my parents and siblings who remain in danger in...”. The camp name is given, in Kurdistan. It continues: “I came to Canada last year as part of the program. I was grateful to be safe in Canada, but I am constantly worried about my family who remain in danger in Kurdistan. My parents and siblings remain in danger in Kurdistan since there are still ISIS members who are targeting the Yazidi people in Kurdistan. My father is....” He names his father, his mother, and siblings and goes on: “I am worried about my family since they continue to be at risk of persecution, and because they are unable to get adequate medical care my father has had a stroke that left him with weakness in one of his hands, and my mother has diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, and my 11-year-old brother has cerebral palsy. All of my family members are suffering psychologically due to the atrocities that they encountered with ISIS. My siblings, who are all school-aged, are unable to afford to go to school. In addition, my 11- year-old brother with cerebral palsy does not have any access to services to help him lead a full life. I am very worried about them and I am unable to do anything because of my constant worry. I feel helpless being so far from them and unable to help them. I feel guilty being so far away from them and not being able to help them.”

He continues: “I would like them to join me in Canada so that I can help them and so that they can be safe, go to school and receive medical treatment. Being separated from my family is causing me psychological distress and I don't think that I'll be able to overcome my psychological trauma caused by ISIS as long as I am separated from my family. Please help me reunite with my family. I would also like to plead with you to help the single girls who were raped and tortured by ISIS for many years [and] who are living alone in the camps of Iraq. These girls have no future in Iraq and deserve to have a life of peace and safety in Canada. Please help bring them to Canada so that the resettled Yazidi community in Canada can support them.”

Another letter states: “I am writing to you today because I am asking for your help to reunite me with my family. I arrived in Canada in December 2017 with my four children and my brother-in-law. In August 2014 ISIS came to my village and took three of my children to many different places. The last was Syria. My one son had fled with his uncle. I am not sure what happened to my husband. I lived in Raqqa, in Syria, with my three children for three years. I fled with my friends and my children to Pakeke and eventually to Kurdistan. We arrived in Kurdistan in March, 2016, and we lived in a camp there, where the living conditions were very poor. I hope the Canadian government can help bring my family here. My father”—he names his father—“and my mother live together in a camp in Kurdistan. My two sisters and youngest brother are living with my parents in this camp. My oldest brother is living with his wife and six children in the same camp. My sister lives with her husband and six children and they also live in this camp. My other sister lives in the same camp with her husband and three children.”

It continues: “Another of my sisters lives with her husband at this camp. My older sister lives with her husband in this camp. My other sister lives with her husband and one daughter in this camp. When I speak to my family, they tell me there is no food and no water and it is extremely hot. Every day another tent burns down. I'm not feeling okay here. We suffered a lot at the hands of ISIS. I don't have my husband with me now. Mentally, I am not okay, and I cannot focus on my life here, because I am constantly worrying about my family back at home. When I was back at home and I was doing the interview, I was told that if I moved to Canada that they would bring my family here. I need help because I have to go to school in the evening, and when I get home, I am alone raising my four children. Other countries who are welcoming the Yazidi people are also bringing their families to be reunited. We hope the Canadian government can help bring our families here.”

Here is another letter:“I am writing to request your help in reuniting me with my fiancé, who lives in [...tent in the...camp]. I'm one of the Yazidi refugees who were brought to Canada as part of the program in 2017. I was told that my fiancé would be able to join me in Canada once I had resettled in Calgary, but it is almost a year, and I have not been reunited with him. In my culture, once a woman is engaged, she is committed to her fiancé, as though they are husband and wife. The only reason we were not married is that the immigration official told me that I would not be able to resettle in Canada if I got married. In fact, the official told me that my whole family would be prevented from coming to Canada if I got married. The official told me that I could bring him over to Canada later, once I had landed in Canada. I was faced with an impossible situation; either I could marry my fiancé but remain subject to violence in Iraq, or I could postpone marriage and come to the safety of Canada, with the hope of bringing my fiancé at a later date.”

It continues: “I chose to come to Canada, but since coming, I've been told that it's impossible to be reunited with my fiancé since I'm not officially married with a marriage certificate. I'm terribly worried about him, since he is very unsafe as a member of an ethnic minority with a long history of persecution in Iraq. As you know, Yazidis are still being kidnapped and killed in Iraq. My worry about him and his safety is debilitating. I do not feel well psychologically because I am separated from him and worrying about him. I am unable to focus at school, and therefore, I am having difficulty learning English, which is impacting my ability to integrate. Please help me reunite with my fiancé. I will not be able to resettle successfully in Canada without him.”

Here is another request: “I'm writing you today to request your help in 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 of the help I'm receiving, I don't think I'll be able to feel at ease in Canada as long as my family is not safe. I arrived in Calgary in December of 2017 with my husband and six of my children. Before ISIS started attacking my people, we were living in Tal Banat near Sinjar. I was working at home taking care of my children. We were in Tal Banat until the day ISIS attacked my people. My husband and I fled at 2 a.m. to the mountains, and we finally managed to reach the city of Duhok. We then went to nearby villages to hide with relatives. Finally, we went to the Mamrashan camp, where we stayed until we came to Canada. One of my sons managed to escape to Germany, but the rest of my family were separated from us at the beginning, and they were stuck in the mountains for weeks. The ones who are still alive, listed below, are now living in various camps across Kurdistan. Here are all of my family members who are still alive, with their location:” Sisters and mothers and brothers are listed.

It continues: “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's simply not safe for them over there. This constant worry is affecting me. My children are suffering from mental health problems because of the separation of their family. Most of my siblings in Iraq are suffering from PTSD, and the situation in the camp only makes their mental health worse. We have 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.”

I have another: “I came to Canada in December 2017 after my family and I suffered unspeakable horrors. I arrived in Calgary with only my brother, his wife and their four children. Before ISIS I lived with my parents, siblings and my sibling's family in Tel Azer, where we did farming and construction. Once ISIS came, our family was captured. The men were taken away, the women sold into sexual slavery. I was captured and held in captivity for two and a half years. I was finally released when my family paid a ransom for my freedom. When I was released from ISIS I was brought to a camp where I was approached by the Canadian representatives who offered me resettlement in Canada. I was allowed to bring only one member of my family for support. It was a very difficult decision for me, but I chose to have my brother come with me. I was told that I might be able to sponsor my other family members after I arrived in Canada, but I have since learned that it will be impossible for me to do so. I am devastated to learn that I may never see my family again. At this time I have many family members in captivity with ISIS: my mother, my younger brother, my sister and her three children and my sister-in-law and her three children. I have no idea if they are dead or alive. Fortunately, I have some relatives who have survived and they're living in various camps in Kurdistan. My surviving family members are:” They are listed with their camp locations.

It continues: “The lives of my family members living in the camps are very difficult. Even though they have escaped imprisonment with ISIS, they continue to feel like they are threatened and that their safety is in jeopardy. Because they continue to be a minority in a Muslim majority region, they live in constant fear of being attacked again. Moreover, they live in tents, which are very warm and don't provide adequate protection. It gets very hot and they don't have enough access to water. Moreover they tell me the water tastes very bitter. They are limited to collecting their water every three days and sometimes they run out of water. In addition, they often don't have enough food to eat. Because of their suffering, I am suffering. My brother and I came to safety in Canada; however, even though I am safe, my mind is not at peace because my family is suffering. I can't learn, and this is causing me difficulty in learning English. Please help me reunite with my remaining family so that we can support each other and heal from our trauma.”

I have another letter: “I am writing you today to request your help in reuniting my family members who are still in Iraq. I truly believe the only way for me to successfully settle here and to become an active member here is to bring my family together once again. Even with all the help I am receiving, I don't think I'll be able to feel at ease because my family is not safe. I arrived in Calgary in March 2018 with my sister and two of her brothers. Before ISIS started attacking my people, I was living with my family in the city of Kojo 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, and after fleeing the news I fled to the Dohuk region. However, my parents and siblings were in Kojo when it was attacked by ISIS. After many months of activity my three siblings who came with me to Canada managed to escape ISIS and met me at the Rwanga camp but ISIS had already murdered my parents. My other sister was also captured by ISIS and her whereabouts are unknown. We had to pay $20,000 to a smuggler for him to go and liberate my brothers captured by ISIS. My sister who is here with me in Canada was liberated by the Iraqi troops a month later when they retook Mosul. She then joined us in the camp. After that I stayed with my siblings in the camp until coming here to Canada. This is a list of my family members who are alive with their current location.”

It continues: “I think about my family members every day. This ultimately prevents me from focusing on my new life and moving on. My family members are living in terrible conditions and it is simply not safe for them over there. Then don't have access to clean water, electricity or health care. Also my sister and one of her 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, listed above, to Canada would greatly help me take care of my family. We have started a community here in Calgary. I hope the Canadian government will sympathize with my situation and help bring my family over to Canada. We need your help.”

I have another letter: “I am writing today to ask the Canadian government to help the Yazidis and to help me reunite with my family. I arrived in Canada in August 2017. I arrived with my husband, two kids and sister-in-law. 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'm always thinking about my family and our people back home. I hope the government can help me reunite with my family. My family is living in....” They list the camp in Kurdistan. “My mother, my sister and my brothers....” They list their names. “I am able to contact my family while they are living at the camp, and they tell me that their life is very bad. There is no medicine, no food and no water. Since arriving in Canada in August 2017, my life here is good with my husband and children, but I'm always thinking of my family back home. My mom has high blood pressure and diabetes, and she has no money to go to the doctor. I appreciate the help of the Canadian government, and I hope they can bring our family here.”

This is another letter: “I arrived in Canada in November 2017 with my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and sister, as part of the program. On August 3, 2014, ISIS captured my family. They separated my husband and kids. They took my children and I to Syria. I have not heard from my husband since ISIS took him on that date. I was held in captivity with ISIS for one and a half years. I escaped to Pakeke, and then to a small village in Kurdistan. While there, I lived with my parents. My 15-year-old son is still held in captivity with ISIS. If I hear anything about him, if he is released, I hope he can come here to Canada. My other son and daughter were released from ISIS, and they arrived here in Canada about a month and half ago. I don't know what happened to my brother-in-law and his family. I also don't know what happened to my uncle and his family.”

It continues: “Since arriving in Canada, it is difficult to focus, because I keep thinking about my son, my husband and my parents at home. Every time I'm thinking that ISIS has captured my family at home, I am not able to sleep well. I hope that the Canadian government can help bring my family here. My father and mother are still living in Kurdistan with my brother. My brother has four children with his wife. It is a bad life for my family, and not just my family but all the Yazidis. There's no water. There's no food. I hope the Canadian government can help the Yazidi people, especially those living in the camps, and our family members who are still held captive by ISIS. ISIS is brainwashing our children. I appreciate that the Canadian government helped me to bring my kids here. I hope to have the rest of my family here as well.”

Here is another request: “My story: On August 3, 2014, ISIS came to my village in Sinjar. After they came, I ran to the mountains and stayed in the mountains for three months. At that time, I managed to escape to Kurdistan. I stayed in a refugee camp called Khanke and was there for two months, and then I left to stay in an unfinished building. I didn't feel I was safe in the camp or anywhere there in Iraq. I wasn't able to work or go to school. I came to Canada with my sister-in-law who is alone with her children here. Here is a list of my family members who I desperately want to be reunited with:” She lists her sister, and says she was in captivity with ISIS for two and a half years, and her six-year-old daughter. Her sister was able to escape and is in the mountains with her husband and four children. Sometimes she is in contact with them. She lists other people.

It continues: “Being separated from my family is greatly affecting me, and I think about them every day. My sister and her family”—this is the one who escaped from ISIS captivity—“are living a very terrible life now. They have no food and they can't find work. They are suffering there, and I worry about their safety and their well-being all the time. The children are unable to go to school. My sister is struggling so much with her mental health and is not functioning. She lives in fear all the time, has panic attacks and requires a lot of help. I feel I cannot resettle well in Canada without my family being here. We need to help each other to move on from this terrible thing that has happened to us all. All I think about is my sisters. I can't focus on school here. I find it difficult to concentrate on anything other than thoughts of my family. I worry daily about their safety. It is affecting my ability to move on. I know that having them here will make my life better, to know that they are safe. I also want to be with my fiancé, as we hope to start a life together. We need to be together. I think about the life we might be having now in Iraq if ISIS had not destroyed our lives. I am very grateful to the Canadian government for helping me to come here, but I am respectfully requesting that they continue to help me by bringing my family here, too, who are not safe where they are. We need to build a new community here so we can focus on the future and go to school and build a life here. I hope the Government of Canada will bring my family here and help the Yazidi people. I hope the Government of Canada will respond to this plea. My family needs your help.”

This is another letter: “I arrived in Canada in December 2017. I arrived with my husband and four children. In August 2014, my three children and I were captured by ISIS and we were held in captivity for eight and a half months. My husband and two other children were able to flee to the mountains and lived in Kurdistan for about eight to nine months. After eight months, my children and I were able to escape ISIS and we fled to Kurdistan as well and we were reunited with my husband and other children. Since arriving in Canada in December 2017, my life here is safe, but I'm always thinking about my son who was left back at home. My son Jamal is 27 years old and he is living in a tent in”—I won't say where for confidentiality—“with his wife and eight-month-old son. He is unable to have regular work because of his pain in his back and I worry about him. He does construction periodically to make money because his wife is taking care of their baby.”

It continues: “My sister is living in a tent in the Sinjar Mountains with her husband and four kids. They are struggling with no food, no water and rely on neighbours to help. My brother is living in a tent in the Sinjar region with his wife and six kids. While fleeing from ISIS, my brother suffered a fall and fractured bones in his chest. Because of this, he has trouble breathing and [has] a lot of pain. My other sister is also living in the mountains with her husband and eight children. My other brother is also living in the Sinjar mountains with his wife, seven children and our mother. I have only been in contact once since arriving in Canada and I know that he is living a bad life. My other brother is also living in the Sinjar mountains with his wife and four kids and they have expressed that they would like to come to Canada. My sister is living in Sinjar mountains with her husband. My brother is also living in the Sinjar Mountains. Mentally, I am not good as I have pain in my arm and my children have to help me take care of the house. I have the pain in my arm because ISIS tortured and beat me up. I am having trouble sleeping because I am worried about my family and because of the pain in my arm and shoulder. I care a lot about my family in Iraq, especially the children—my nephews and nieces. I am here safe with my four kids, but I care about my other son a lot and I want him here with me. My other son is alone. I am asking the Canadian government for help to bring my family safe here in Canada.”

Here is another letter: “I am requesting your help reuniting my family. I arrived in Canada in June of 2017 with my wife and two children. Before ISIS, I was working in farming. We were a happy family. Our life was normal and we were able to support our family. All of our family was together. After ISIS, many people fled to the mountains, taking whatever they could at the last minute. We barely made it alive. We lost everything that we had worked for for our entire life. We were lucky to make it out with just our lives. We were in the mountains for three days. There was an open corridor and we managed to make it to the Syrian border. We had to walk for four to five hours and then at the border, we were loaded onto buses and taken to a camp in Syria. Then we were taken into Kurdistan. We went to a Christian village. I had worked there before and I knew some people to stay with. We lived there for three years. We were dependent on international aid during this time. Occasionally, we would be able to find work. My sister-in-law was smuggled and brought out and she was one of the people contacted by the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society. My sister-in-law was selected to come to Canada and she requested that her sister join us and that is how we came to Canada. The following family members that are surviving and their location are:” She lists her father and mother, five siblings and aunts and uncles.

It continues: “We are always thinking about family over there. We have lived with our parents for more than 20 years and then all of a sudden you don't see them. I have had a child in Canada that my parents have yet to meet. It would mean a lot to us if the Canadian government could bring my family over to Canada. They are always on our minds. There is always a danger that the same thing will happen to the Yazidi people again in Iraq.”

Here is another letter: “On August the 3rd, 2014, my village was captured by ISIS and ISIS surrounded our village and they were forcing us to convert to Muslim and threatened to kill us. We stayed in the village for five days and one night we ran to the mountains. We walked for four days and stayed in the mountains for four days. After that, we went to Kurdistan and we lived in the camp until we came to Canada. We lived a bad life in the camp. No water, no food, no medicine. We hope the Canadian government can help us reunite with our families.”

Again, there are two people writing this letter. The first says, “My brother ran from Iraq with his family, and they are staying in a shelter in Greece. He is living with his wife and three children. My brother is stuck in Greece, and I would very much appreciate if the government could bring my brother here. The government in Greece is telling my brother that they are not able to stay there and must return to Iraq. In Greece, the Yazidis are being killed in the refugee camp.” The next person says, “Our sister is living with three children in the camp since 2014. Our other sister is living with her husband and one child. Our other sister is living with her seven children alone in the camp. She is a widow because ISIS killed her husband, so she is left with her seven children to raise on her own. Our nephew is also living in the camp. Since arriving in Canada, we push ourselves to live a good life here, but it is hard because we are always thinking about our family back home, especially our brother in Greece. We just hope that the Canadian government can help bring our brother from Greece and our sister in Iraq. We know that they are not in safe conditions. We appreciate everything that has been done for the Yazidi people. Our whole life, the Yazidi people have lived together, and now we are all living separately.”

Here is another letter: “We arrived in Canada in 2017. In 2014, I was captured by ISIS and held in captivity for about nine months, and I was taken to Tal Afar and Mosul. I was able to escape from ISIS, and fled from Mosul to Kurdistan.” Again, there are two people in this letter. “I ran from the village to the Sinjar Mountains, and another ran from the village to the Sinjar Mountains and then to Kurdistan. We appreciate the Canadian government bringing us here, but we hope to bring our family here. It is hard because our family is not here. We do not feel mentally okay.” The first woman says, “I am having trouble sleeping, and I am afraid to go out because I see people who look like they are a part of ISIS. I am also having trouble sleeping because I am worrying that my family is not safe. I am hoping the Canadian government can help me reunite with my family. My father and mother are currently living in a camp in Kurdistan, and they have been there since 2014. When I speak to them, my parents tell me that it is not safe to live there. My father suffers from an amputation in one leg, and my mother sustained a fractured foot about six months ago and is unable to walk because she can't afford care. My sisters are also living in the same camp, and are also living in the same poor camp conditions. My brother is also living in the same camp with his wife and three kids. My two sisters are also living with her husband and four kids.” The next person says, “My brother was captured by ISIS and was able to flee after two months. He is now living in the camp with his wife and three month [old] son. My two uncles are living in the camp for four years.” This is a different camp. “I still have family members captured by ISIS. My father and my sister have lost contact with them for the last four years. We are never going to be good here in Canada because we are always worrying about our family back home. We hope that our family back home can come here. We want to focus on our life here in Canada.”

Here is another letter: “I arrived in Canada in March 2018 with my brother and sister as part of the program. I was captured in August 2014 by ISIS and taken to Syria on August 5. I was held in captivity for one year. My captors beat me and raped me. I escaped and ran from ISIS, and went to a Syrian family who helped my cousin and I for 28 days. After that, we went to Turkey to meet the rest of the family. My brother is still captured by ISIS and is living in Syria. I hope that if he is ever released or if he escapes from ISIS, he is able to come to Canada. I hope the Canadian government can help bring over my aunt who is living in a camp in Kurdistan. She is living with her husband and six children. I spoke to her today, and they tell me that the life in the camp is not good. There is no food, and there is no water. My life here in Canada is good and safe, but I think a lot about my family back home. My mood is not good, but I am trying to be strong. I push myself at school. Even if everyday at school I can learn two words, it will be better for me. Every night I am having bad dreams, and I cannot stop thinking about what happened to me and what is still happening to my family. I hope the Canadian government will hear me. I want to help my people still living in the camp because it's not a good life, and I hope that my aunt will be able to come here. The Yazidi people here in Calgary look like my family, but I need my aunt to be here with me. I also want to tell the Canadian government that we still have a lot of women and their children still held as prisoners with ISIS, and they need our help.”

Another letter says: “My story: On August the 3rd, 2014, ISIS captured me and my husband. I was pregnant at the time and we had our daughter with us as well. We were taken to Tal Afar. At that time I was separated from my husband and I saw them beating him. I have not seen him since that time. I was taken with my daughter to Syria and I delivered a baby girl while in captivity with ISIS in Syria. I witnessed many terrible things there: girls being taken away and boys being forced to fight for ISIS. I was beaten many times, and they beat my daughters as well. They tried to force me to become Muslim. They told me my name was a Kurdish name and they changed it. I was going to be sold, along with my daughters, but my family found me online and they paid for us to be released. My oldest daughter was sent ahead and I walked four hours with my youngest daughter until we found the Peshmerga people of Iraq. I was able to find my parents and stayed with them for one and a half years, and after that I was brought to Canada. Here is a list of the family members whom I desperately want to be reunited with.” She lists her sisters.

It continues: “They are living a very difficult life in temporary, makeshift housing without a proper roof and they often go without food as their children always live with safety concerns. I worry about them so much. Being separated from my family is greatly affecting me and I think about them every day. I am terrified about their safety. I cry every day thinking about my husband and not knowing what has happened to him, though I know he might be dead. My daughters ask about their father and when he will be with them. All I want is for my sisters to be here with me, to be able to help move forward here. I believe my life would be better with them here. Otherwise I'm alone with my children and just my brother-in-law. My parents are old and they can't come here. I am very grateful to the Canadian government for helping me with my three children, but I am respectfully requesting that they continue to help me by bringing my family here too, who are not safe where they are. I would appreciate this help from the government because my mental health here is not good. I can't concentrate and I am not able to settle here well living like this. I hope the Government of Canada will respond to this plea. My family needs your help.”

This is one stack of letters from one city in this country, and we have had this conversation so many times. We went through a whole study of the factors that we needed to consider as a Parliament and as a government to help resettle victims of genocide. The top recommendation in that was expediting the reunification of genocide survivors with their family members, and even after we concurred that report into the House of Commons, the government is still not acting on these.

I have piles of letters. This is just for Calgary. There is Winnipeg. There's London. There's Toronto. I have piles of examples where people are being told even within the tight confines that currently exist for the one-year window of opportunity, that their applications aren't going to be processed for over two years.

I humbly ask this committee to take into consideration the study so that we can ensure that these people are able to resettle into Canada and that we order our priorities accordingly in terms of who comes to Canada through our humanitarian immigration system.

Thank you.

6:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

I have Mr. Maguire next.

6:15 p.m.

Conservative

Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have listened intently to these, I don't know how many letters—tens of tens at least, if not over a hundred. I look at the study that we've been asking for here and the motion that's come forward today. It's totally about refugee family reunification, Mr. Chair, and I believe—

6:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

The bells are now ringing for a vote. I need unanimous consent to continue this meeting. Do I have unanimous consent?

6:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

No.

6:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

Is it your will that I adjourn?

6:15 p.m.

Liberal

Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL

You don't need our will because you don't have unanimous consent to continue.

6:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

Is it your will that I suspend?

The meeting is suspended.

(Meeting adjourned [See Minutes of Proceedings])