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.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Marwan Tabbara Liberal Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON
—and we've also invested $14 million in health care services, which the previous government had cut.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
I believe that this is debate as well.
Mr. Tilson, I also ask that you speak when your turn comes. Thank you.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Another letter states: “I'm requesting your help reuniting with my family so they can resettle successfully in Canada. I arrived in Canada in December 2018 with my family and five children. Before I arrived in Canada, my life was horrible. Before ISIS, we were very happy making a living raising livestock. We were not very rich, but we were happy as we were all together. After ISIS arrived, our village was surrounded by the militants for seven days. We were not able to eat. We were told that the women would be taken into slavery and that the men would be taken into ISIS. After seven days, we decided to escape during the night. We were able to make it to a different village. Our father was in a different village and advised us via telephone to remain silent about our escape, as he was going to try to escape to join us. That was the last time we talked to our father. The village he was in was totally destroyed.”
It continues: “We walked all night and reached a shrine in the mountain. I was pregnant at the time with my fifth child. We were warned not to stay, as ISIS was targeting religious shrines. We continued to the other side of the mountain. We were able to get a ride the next day to safety. We lived—18 family members—in one room in a building that my brother-in-law had. My sister-in-law was captured and eventually released after two years, bought out for $15,000. She was allowed to select my family to join her in Canada due to her past history of being captured. There are 16 other family members who are presumed dead—grandmothers, aunts, brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews. My surviving family members are: a sister, a brother-in-law, three children, his sister and brother-in-law, and two more children.”
It continues: “We were torn apart as a family. I have only two sisters left in my family. The situation in the camps is not very good. It is not a safe place for them. My mind is always preoccupied with worry. I am not able to learn anything at school. As soon as I leave my class, my mind is thinking about my missing family. We are here in Canada in a safe place. With all of my family still over there and all of us apart, I would like the Canadian government to help reunite us so that we can have a new future in Canada. I would like the Canadian government to get my people out of ISIS' hands.”
Another—
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL
I allowed Ms. Rempel to finish her letters, because I like to have them read in their entirety without interruption. As she herself said, however, before reading that last letter, the reason she was reading the letters was to give voice to those who had written to her. Yet the purpose of her time now is to move the motion. It's my view that she's strayed beyond the ambit of what she's permitted to do. She's not actually trying to move the motion; she's just taking this opportunity to read letters, which she has other opportunities to do.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Can I respond to that? I'd like to make my argument for your consideration.
I am reading these letters because they speak to the need for this study. We have gone through committee study after committee study, to the point where I actually concurred in a report where the recommendations were nearly unanimously supported, and yet the government has not moved on this key recommendation in the report on resettlement services for Yazidis.
This is why this motion is so important. Every single one of these letters is a justification for this study. I want to be clear to my colleagues and make a strong, cogent argument that this is something that we need to do, and we need to do it quickly.
Chair, also for your consideration, I would like my colleagues to be very careful about making any insinuation that somehow these letters are not material to the motion at hand. What you are saying is that they are not important, and that the voices in here—
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL
Ms. Rempel has totally put words in my mouth. I was saying that, by her own words, she stated the purpose for which she was reading these letters into evidence. I did not make any statement as to why it was. Those were her words, not mine.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
I used the term “insinuation”, Chair. The exact words I—
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
“Insinuation” is a strong word. It's the second time you've used it today.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
Perhaps you would like to complete your argument, and then I'm going to make a ruling on whether I am agreeing or not agreeing with Mr. Whalen.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Well, again, Chair, each of these letters is an example, a concrete example, of why this study is so important. They are unique and different; there's no repetition in this, and therefore the argument of relevancy, which I believe is what my colleague is trying to make, is not in order. These are all unique arguments that speak to the motion here at hand.
Thank you.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL
So if I get a point of rebuttal on the point of order, I'm not making an argument as to whether or not it's relevant. The member herself has said that she is not reading them for purposes of the motion. If she wants to clarify that, she can, but not based on what I'm saying.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
I did understand what you said, and I understand how Ms. Rempel interpreted it differently than I understood it. I'm going to take a moment now, and suspend the meeting to discuss this with the clerk.
I'll suspend for a moment.
I call the meeting back to order.
Ms. Rempel, you can continue.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you.
This letter states: “I am requesting your help reuniting with my family so I can resettle successfully in Canada. I arrived in Canada in August 2017 with my family and five children as part of the initiative. Before ISIS, life was good. My husband and brother-in-law were working together at construction jobs. We were captured by ISIS in Sinjar. To them, our life was not worth anything. We were treated poorly. We were taken away to Baaj, and the men were separated from the women and children. The women and children were put in a school. The men were put in a fenced backyard several hours later. ISIS identified all the unmarried girls and any married women that they liked, and took them away. All of the other women were told that, if they did not convert to Islam, they would be killed. Even those that converted to Islam would be killed if ISIS decided that they did not trust them.”
It continues: “Then we were transported to another place for a few days, and again housed in schools without any food or water. They took everything from us, jewellery, phones and money. The men were left behind in Baaj. We were then taken to a prison in another town and were searched again, and again women were selected out by ISIS for their own use. They took girls as young as seven years old. This time, my two older sons were separated from me, leaving me with my two younger sons. My older son was with my husband in the fenced yard. Any boys that had armpit hair were considered men and were killed. The prison was bombed, and we were evacuated by ISIS to the previous city that we had been in. My husband managed to get a phone and contacted his brother for help. His brother appealed to ISIS. Some of them had been his former neighbours, and someone started to help us.”
It continues: “We managed to be reunited with my husband and were taken to Kojo. In Kojo we were all learning about Islam and how to pray. The women and children were constantly guarded by ISIS. Someone from our group escaped, and subsequently ISIS threatened to kill us all. Someone from ISIS helped us reunite with our two older sons. An ISIS leader was killed, and we were all separated again. I heard shooting. Subsequently, ISIS selected whatever women they wanted. The remainder of the people were put in an animal barn and then moved to Mosul with the intention of killing everyone. They lined my husband, son and other relatives up and told them to recite an Islamic prayer as they were planning to shoot them. Fortunately, at the last minute, ISIS left quickly due to a phone call from someone. We eventually managed to escape, as my husband was working in the fields for ISIS tending animals and was able to survey the landscape for possible escape routes. The following family members that are surviving and their location are”—and they list a son, a daughter-in-law, a sister, a brother-in-law, six nieces and nephews, a mother-in-law, a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law.
It continues: “We were very close to my sister and her husband. My sister is like a mother to me. I want her to be with me. This affects me a great deal. I would like to ask the international community, not just Canada, to look into the mass graves and to help our people. We need help in getting our families back together. I'm writing to request your help in reuniting me with my family. I'm writing to request reunification with my parents who are called”—they list the names—“my four brothers who are called”—they list the names—“and my sister. They are currently living in a camp”—and they list the location.
It continues: “I would also like to be reunited with my older sister who is living in a camp with her husband and her husband's family. I came to Canada in January of 2018. In 2014 our family escaped ISIS by running to safety on Sinjar Mountain. My family then ran away from ISIS by travelling to Kurdistan. Unfortunately, my brother was captured by ISIS, and he remains in captivity today. I was separated from my family when my husband and I were resettled in Canada because we were caring for my young sister-in-law who had been released by ISIS after having suffered years of torture. Since coming to Canada, we have been suffering without our family. Our hearts are heavy because we are missing family. We are very worried for them since they are not safe in the camp, and they have no money, food, medicine or adequate shelter. My mother has multiple medical problems, including mental health problems and diabetes. My father is missing an eye and has hypertension and heart problems, and my brother has asthma, which is uncontrolled due to the dusty environment in the camp. Unfortunately, they are unable to afford medical care and medicines and are becoming more sick. We are very worried about their health. We are also very worried about them because they are still not safe and are at constant risk of violence and persecution.”
It continues: “My mind is full of worries for my family, and I have difficulty concentrating at school and learning English because of my constant worries. Their life in the camp is not good, and I worry for their welfare and safety. Please help reunite our family so that we can help support each other, heal from our trauma and work towards a productive future in Canada.”
Here is another: “We are writing you today because we hope the Canadian government can help us reunite with our families so that we may be able to resettle successfully in Canadian history. We arrived in Canada on December 28, 2017, with our one son. On August 3, ISIS came to our village, and we tried to run.” There are two people writing this letter, a man and a woman. This is the woman: “On August 4, ISIS took me to different places, and I lived in Syria for two and a half years. The man who bought me broke both of my son's legs, and he raped me and beat me. In Syria, this man sold me to another man who also beat me a lot. Because of those beatings, I now suffer from pain in my back. In Syria, I was able to escape, and I fled to Pakeke with my son, and we lived there for a week. After that, my family took me to Kurdistan, where I lived in the camp for almost a year. I hope the Canadian government can help me reunite with my family. My aunt lives with her husband and six children in a camp. My cousin is also living in this camp with his wife. My uncle is living with his wife and five children in this camp. I talk to my family, but they tell me it is not a good life there in the camp. It is not safe, and there's no food or water or medicine. Since arriving in Canada, I'm always thinking about my family at home. They need a lot of help. My brain is not working here. It is hard to focus. I'm also five months pregnant and feeling very stressed.”
Here is the male: “In 2014, I heard that my wife and son were taken by ISIS. I tried to go to Sinjar, but it wasn't safe. I stayed in Erbil and worked in the hospital there. I continued to work at the hospital, even when my wife and son were released from ISIS. I hope that I can be reunited with my family. My sister is still in captivity with ISIS, and they forced her to marry someone from ISIS. She has now two children with this man. This man has taken the children and left their home, and she does not know where they are. My sister has since fled to Pakeke and was released in September 2017. She is now living in the camp in Kurdistan and is suffering from poor mental health. I care about my sister so much, and when I talk to her, she tells me she just wants to kill herself. My uncle is living with his wife and two children in the camp. My cousin is living with his wife and two children in the camp. My other cousin is living with his wife and one child in the camp. My other cousin is living in the same camp with his wife and three children. My aunt is living with her three adult children in the same camp. I have an uncle who is living in this camp, as well, with his wife. My mother's aunt is living alone in a camp. I have another uncle who is living with his wife and four children in Erbil since 2014. I hope the Canadian government can help bring my family here because no one is safe back at home. It is hard for me to focus on building a new life here in Canada without our families here for us.”
Here is 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 1.5 years. I came to Canada with my mother and brother. My family of five sisters, three brothers and parents was destroyed by ISIS. While my mother and two brothers escaped capture by ISIS, the rest of my family was captured. Because one of my sisters refused to convert to Islam, ISIS burned her alive. One of my brothers managed to escape ISIS following his captivity. My father is presumed killed by ISIS. My other two sisters eventually escaped ISIS and are now resettled in Germany. Finally, my sister escaped ISIS in 2018, and is now living in very precarious situations in the camp in Kurdistan. My sister is currently living in the camp in Zakho, 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 attempted suicide for a few months by jumping off the upper floor of a building, suffering multiple fractures as a result. For her mental health to recover, she needs the support of me and our mother, who currently resides 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.”
The letter continues: “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 sister to Canada. I would also like my surviving brothers to be brought to Canada. My brothers are [named...]. They are married, have one son. I would also 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 cousin who is deaf and mute and living alone in the camp. Her entire family has been killed by ISIS, and she is alone and vulnerable. 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 family all the time. The doctors tell me that my stomach pain, lack of appetite and weight loss are because I am so worried about their well-being. I am constantly thinking about them, and my thoughts and worries are preventing me from sleeping. I feel guilty all of the time because I am safe in Canada and they are suffering. Even though I am going to school, I cannot learn because my mind is preoccupied by worries about my family.”
Here is another: “I am writing you today because we are asking the Canadian government to help us, not just my family, but the other Yazidi families, as well. The living conditions in the camps are not safe, and the tents are getting burned. There is no food and no water. I arrived in Canada in December 2017 with my husband, four children and sister-in-law. On August 3, 2014, ISIS came to our village and said “we won't kill you if you have a white flag.” It was not true. ISIS shot at us and killed our men and captured the women and children. We ran to the mountains and stayed there for seven days with no food and then we fled to Kurdistan. We lived in the camp for four years until we went to Canada in 2017. I hope the Canadian government can help me be reunited with my family. My sister is living with her husband and seven children in the camp and they have lived there since 2014.”
It continues: “My sister's husband was running from ISIS and sustained a fall from the car. Since then, he has suffered severe back pain and cannot stand straight. Especially in the winter, he has trouble walking. When I talk to my sister, she tells me there is no food or water in the camp. My other sister is living with her husband and four kids because she is now two months pregnant with her fifth child. ISIS shot my sister in her stomach because she was trying to run away and has undergone seven surgeries since. They are living in a camp in Kurdistan. My brother is living in a camp with our parents. Because our families are back home, even though we are in a safe place here, we are always thinking about our family back home. Our family is always hearing news that ISIS will be returning. We go to school every day. We are trying to learn English and when we go home, we hear stories about how everyone is suffering and we are not able to remember what we learned at school. The Yazidis are a very poor people. There is no school, no work and no food for the Yazidi people. The Yazidis are afraid to live in Kurdistan because ISIS is still there. I hope the Canadian government can help us and open the door to bringing more Yazidi people.”
This is another: “ I am writing to request your help in reuniting me with my family. I came to Calgary in 2017. I came to Canada after being held in captivity and tortured by ISIS [for] 2.5 years. Although I am safe in Canada I am unable to resettle because I am always thinking and worrying about my family who remain in danger in Iraq. My body is here in Canada but my heart and my mind remain with my family in Iraq. My parents, sisters and brothers—”
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
I have to interrupt you for one moment.
Because you are the vice-chair and you are busy and the second vice-chair is not here, I'm just going to ask Salma to take the chair for a moment while I take a break.
5:05 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
The letter continues: “My parents, sisters and brothers are living in very difficult circumstances, without access to adequate shelter, food, water and electricity in Dohuk, Iraq. They have no financial support and are living in extreme poverty. In addition, they are constantly at risk of further violence and persecution by ISIS. My husband, sister and brother-in-law are still missing and I fear the worst. Moreover, there are 16 members of my husband's family who remain missing as well. I worry for my missing family members and for my family who remain in danger in Dohuk and this consumes my mind. I am unable to sleep or eat because of my worry. I cannot concentrate at school. I am having difficulty learning English. My thinking and focus is so bad that I'm considering dropping out of school, even though I realize that if I do not learn English I will have difficulty integrating into Canadian society. The only way that I find peace is by having my family reunited. I respectfully request that the government help me bring my family, who is in Dohuk, Iraq, here to Canada, where they can be safe.” She lists her father, mother, siblings and the husband's sister. “I also plead with the government to do more to try to find those from the Yazidi community who continue to be missing in Iraq. Please help me reunite with my family. Without my family here, I will not be able to successfully resettle in Canada.”
This is another: “I am writing today to ask the Canadian government to help bring my family here because it is just me and my brother alone. On August the 3, 2014, I was captured by ISIS, and the next day I was raped and taken by one man to Tal Afar to live with him for 16 months. I had to go with him everywhere he went even when he was fighting in the war. He beat me a lot. If I did something that he didn't like, he would beat me and rape me. In 2016 I was able to escape and fled from Tal Afar to the Sinjar Mountains, and eventually to Kurdistan. I arrived in Canada on December 21, 2017 with my brother. My family was captured by ISIS, but they were able to escape before me in 2015. They are living in a camp in Kurdistan. My brother, my sister, my mother, my brother and father are all living in a camp in poor living conditions. My sister is living in a different camp with her husband and three children. When ISIS came to our village, my cousin tried to escape by driving a car and he unfortunately got into an accident. From that accident he has injured his leg and now has difficulty straightening his leg and trouble walking. My cousin is living in the same camp in Sulaymaniyah with his wife and four kids.”
It continues: “Since arriving in Canada I've been visiting a psychiatrist. I suffer from very bad headaches because I'm always worried about my family. I have trouble sleeping, and when I sleep I can only sleep for an hour before waking up again. Sometimes I cannot breathe and I feel like my breathing is trapped in my chest. My brother is the same as me and is thinking a lot about our family. I appreciate the Canadian government to help us and I hope they can bring our family here so we can start focusing on rebuilding our lives here in a safe place.”
Here is another: “I'm writing today to request your help reuniting my family members who are still in Iraq. I truly believe the only way for me to be able 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 am currently receiving in Calgary, I don't think I'll ever be able to feel at ease in Canada as long as my family is not safe here with me.”
It continues: “On August 3, 2014, ISIS came to Sinjar, Iraq, and we tried to escape but ISIS captured us. After we were captured they separated me from my husband. I also have two sons who were taken from me when we were in Tal Afar, Iraq. I was there in Tal Afar for five months and was reunited with my husband at that time. ISIS then took all the men to “a mosque” and from that day I haven't seen him again. My youngest son was able to escape. My oldest son, who was 12 years old when I last saw him, I was told by my youngest son that he was killed by ISIS. I was sold along with my youngest two children and forced to marry someone from Morocco. He was killed in the war and I was again sold and forced to marry another man. For two weeks I tried to find out information about my son and discovered where he was through networks. I managed to conceal him in a vehicle with me that was going to Turkey, but I met with some anti-ISIS fighters on the way and they helped me and my children get back to Iraq. I managed to find my sister and stayed with her for four months. With the help I got from the UN, I was brought to Canada with my children.”
It continues: “Here is a list of my family members who I desperately want to be reunited with:” She lists her sister; her daughter remains in captivity; her husband's whereabouts is unknown; his brother—they have located him and he's living with his wife and three children in a camp; her husband's brother is living in a different camp; his uncle is living in a camp; and a niece. “Being separated from my family is greatly affecting me. I think about them every day. I am terrified about the safety of my daughter and husband. I can't sleep well at all due to worrying about them. I don't feel that I am able to function here properly, and I can't focus on resettling here. I am mentally very affected by the experiences I have been through. I am scared all the time. I am still constantly in fear that my children could be taken away from me. This will take time to heal, but I cannot heal properly without the rest of my family being here safe too.”
It continues: “I have no supports here to help me, and I am trying to raise three children by myself after all this. If my family were here with me, I know I would have some peace, and they would be able to support me and my children. I have suffered some of my physical injuries from a bomb, which affects my ability to walk as well. Many of the family members I have mentioned are living in very hard conditions with no proper housing and things are not safe for them. I am very grateful to the Canadian government for helping me to come here with my three children, but I am respectfully requesting that they continue to help me by bringing my family here, too, who not safe where they are. I hope the Government of Canada will respond to this plea.”
Here is another: “We are writing to you today because we need help from the government to bring our family here to Canada. We arrived in Canada on December 21, 2017—my husband, three kids and my sister. On August 3, 2014, ISIS came to our village and was forcing us to be Muslim. They gave the villages time to consider and think about converting. We stayed in the village for nine days while ISIS surrounded the village. One night some of the ISIS members left to fight, so I escaped with my family. We walked for two days and reached the mountains, and then went on to Kurdistan. My sister was left with ISIS at the time and was held captive for almost a year.”
Again, there are two people who are writing this letter. This is the woman: “It is very important for us to have our family here. Back at home in the camp there is no food, no water, no money. My sister is living in one camp. Her tent was burned down and now has to live—with her husband and daughter—with my parents. My father and my mother are also living in this camp, and have lived there since 2015. When I talk to my family they do not feel safe, and report there is no food and no water. Day after day the living conditions get worse. My grandparents are living in the Sinjar Mountains, and both have physical disabilities. They are living with my uncle, and they also have no food and water. My other sister is living in the camp, and has lived there since 2014 with her husband and one daughter. I believe that God saved my sister because ISIS tried to shoot her, but shot the sheet beside her instead.”
This is the man writing: “My father and mother are living in a camp with my three sisters and three brothers. They have lived there in poor living conditions since 2014. Since arriving in Canada, we feel safe here, but we have bad moods because my family is not here with us. It is difficult to focus and we are not happy because our families are back home, and we are always worrying about them. We appreciate the government bringing us here safe, but nobody knows what it's like to be back home. When we talk to our family they tell us how bad it is to live there. We told our family that we are writing these letters to the Canadian government, and everyone was happy and jumping.”
This is a different letter: “I arrived in Canada seven months ago. I arrived with my five children. In 2014, my husband and children and myself were all captured by ISIS. I was separated from my husband and son, and my daughters and I were held in captivity by ISIS for over two years. I have not been in contact with my husband and son, and I don't know what happened to them, or where they are right now. I want to ask the Canadian government to help me reunite with my family so that I might be able to resettle here in Canada. My entire family is living in a camp in Iraq: my three sisters”—she lists them and continues—“my three brothers and my mother. My family has been living in this camp since fleeing ISIS in 2014. I am able to stay in contact with my family, and they tell me in the camp that there is no water, no food, and my family has no money. My brother got bitten by a snake about a month ago, and he lost a toe. He continues to lose a lot of blood and be in a lot of pain.”
It continues: “My mother has been sick for the last four months. She has high blood pressure, diabetes and pain in her leg. Please help bring my mother here. I am in a safe place here in Canada, but my mental health is not good because I am separated from my family. All day and all night I am focused on my kids, because I am afraid of what ISIS did to us while we were in captivity. My kids also have poor mental health. One of my children has trouble hearing, and another one of my children has a disability. I need someone to be with me to help me with my kids. I am alone here—no brothers, no sisters, no husband. I have to take my children to many medical appointments by myself. Please help me reunite with my family.”
This is another letter: “I am writing to request your help in reuniting me with my family. I came to Canada in December 2017, after my family and I suffered unspeakable horrors at the hands of ISIS. ISIS came to my village on August 3, 2014, where I was living with my husband and five children. We were held in captivity in our village for several days before the men were taken away to be executed. My husband was shot three times and left for dead, but he survived and managed to escape. The women and children were taken away and most were sold into sexual slavery, including my 15-year-old daughter, 11-year-old daughter and one-year-old daughter. My oldest son was taken to be trained as a suicide bomber, while my younger son was taken to be taught the Quran. When I was sold to a Muslim man and pretended to be a faithful Muslim woman, I gained my captor's trust and he returned my two sons to me. Eventually, my children and I escaped to a camp after a ransom was paid by my family.”
It continues: “ISIS destroyed my extended family. Most of the men in my family were killed by ISIS, including my father and three brothers. My husband's family too has been decimated. Most of his family continue to be missing and presumed dead. My mother is missing and may be in captivity with ISIS, or she may have already been killed. My husband, children and I have been provided safety and a chance for a future in Canada. I am hoping the Canadian government will provide the same opportunity for my remaining relatives who are alive, namely, my aunts and their families. I have four aunts who live in various camps in Iraq who I would like to bring to Canada so that they can be safe. My aunts and their family are...”. They go into great detail here, and then it goes on: “My aunts and their families are all the family that I have left in the world. I am very worried about them because they do not have their basic needs met, such as access to clean water, food or adequate shelter. My mind is always preoccupied with the thoughts of my family. Because my mind is always thinking and worrying about my family, I am unable to concentrate and learn at school. I worry that my ongoing separation from my family is preventing me from successfully resettling into Canada. Please help reunite our family so that we can help support each other, heal from our trauma and work towards a productive future in Canada.”
The next letter states: “I am writing to request your help in reuniting me with my family. I am writing to request the unification of my six brothers”—they list the names—“my sister and my mother. They are all living in...”. They list the tents, the names, that they're living in, in the specific camp, and it continues: “I came to Canada in January 2018. In 2014, our family escaped ISIS by running to safety on Sinjar Mountains. My family then ran away from ISIS by travelling to Kurdistan, where we were separated because I was taking care of my sister who had escaped ISIS, and therefore we were offered resettlement in Canada so that my sister could remain safe. Since coming to Canada, we have been suffering without our family. Our hearts are heavy and missing our family. We are very worried for them, since they are not safe in the camp, and they have no money, food, medicine or shelter. Please help reunite our family so that we can support each other and work towards a productive future in Canada.”
Another letter states: “I am requesting your help reuniting with my families so that I can successfully resettle.”
I'll just pause for a moment, because I hear the chair whispering that there is a same line.... Many of these refugees have been supported by immigration resettlement services in Canada that have been advocating on their behalf for their reunification. Of course they are going to have help drafting letters. This was not done at my behest. These are letters that have come to me from resettlement services agencies.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
I was speaking to the redundancy factor, because I have now heard some of the lines 10 or 15 times. I've been keeping track. I've heard exactly the same lines, word for word, so it does raise some concerns for me about redundancy.
I am very impressed with the quality of English. It's much, much improved since we had our.... We've had many meetings with Yazidi members of the community who struggled with their English, so their English has improved tremendously, but I am concerned about the number of times that I am hearing exactly the same words around “reuniting my family” and “productive life in Canada”. I'm just giving you a little note that if I hear those lines continually.... I will be happy to receive all of these letters, too, as you've offered them to me. I'm just giving you notice that if it is getting redundant, I don't think the committee would want to have redundancy.
Mr. Maguire.