Evidence of meeting #20 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was armenian.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, Armenian National Committee of Canada
That's it. Correct....
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Just so we have it on the record so people are clear on that....
One of the things I recall and I may be mistaken is this. When we had a conversation, the suggestion was that the groups that crossed into Kassab were al-Qaeda inspired. Am I quoting you correctly? I want to be very cautious here.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
What's the evidence of that, that they're al-Qaeda inspired as opposed to there being some other inspiration or push behind them?
Executive Director, Armenian National Committee of Canada
It is because it was supported by heavy artillery.
A document was sent to you about three days ago. At that meeting four people—I am not going to name them again—said that they would find a way of blaming al-Qaida. Al-Qaida will not act alone and would not be backed-up by artillery.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
The purpose of my questioning is to put before the people observing this at home what your evidence is. You've supplied us with information and I think it's important if you have specific evidence that al-Qaeda was linked, or is this a group inspired by al-Qaeda? That's what I was searching for in the way I posed the question.
Executive Director, Armenian National Committee of Canada
I know that support is coming from Turkey. I am sure; there is no question about that. But the combination...I don't know because there are numerous snipers in the region, you know, but I know that
the plan was to have al-Qaida take the blame.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
This is different than the way it was presented.
You see, to say that it was an al-Qaeda sponsored event would be one thing. To say it was initiated by a different group who then blamed al-Qaeda for it when al-Qaeda hadn't been involved is another. So I just wanted to be clear on the message that you were bringing to us today because there was a bit of confusion around that.
My understanding at this point is that you're suggesting because of the leaked documents that the evidence in your mind is that it came from the Turkish government and that they were using al-Qaeda as a name to mask what they were doing.
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
Of course you will realize that people will be looking for evidence on that.
Those are the lights calling us to a vote that the chair spoke about before.
How's my time, Mr. Chair?
NDP
Wayne Marston NDP Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON
That's perfect.
So I was wanting to give you that opportunity to make that evidence clear because I'm sure, following this, there will be people with differing views to put before us and we wanted the facts to be as clear as possible.
I'm not sure what the government will say about the asking of aid, the $353 million that's presented to Syria. I couldn't say. Perhaps the government can speak to how that's being administered and to whether or not it can be designated, portions of it apportioned to that area. I would suspect there's a reasonable chance of that.
You talked about diplomacy. Diplomacy between whom...? Between us and the Syrians, us and the Turkish...? How do you see that playing out?
Executive Director, Armenian National Committee of Canada
The way I'm seeing that is the following.
These countries cannot get along. I know the situation and customs in the Middle East very well. Canada should play a leading role and not practice diplomacy for diplomacy's sake. It should be more active, and meet with people so as to put an end to this massacre which, I tell you, will continue.
Today, the people who were chased out of Kessab are in Latakia. If there is an intervention at some point by the army, there will be war between Syria and Turkey. However, who will pay for this?
That is why the Canadian government should adopt a much more effective and down-to-earth approach.
Conservative
Liberal
Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Our meeting today with regard specifically to the questions of the Kassab population comes at a time when there have been a number of historical milestones—if one could say that with regard to what is happening in Syria—almost all of which have been announced this week or in the last 10 days.
The first is that 150,000 have now been killed in this Syrian war. The second is that 10 million Syrians are now in need of humanitarian assistance. The third was announced just today, that 1 million Syrian refugees have now passed into Lebanon alone with all the problems there of scarcity of water and food and the like. The fourth is that humanitarian aid is being blocked from delivery, and the fifth thing is that less than 20% of the pledges of humanitarian aid have been delivered.
All of this, taken together, is an unprecedented catastrophe. I haven't even talked about the other things, the testimony we've been hearing about sexual violence against women, etc.
My question, therefore, to our witnesses is that given that this isn't—and I had the pleasure of meeting with you as well to discuss the plight of the people of Kassab who have moved to Latakia. The question is how do we get a focus on the particular, and I'd say, compelling concerns of the Kassab community in the midst of all this humanitarian catastrophe as it's unfolding now in Syria?
How would we get the Canadian government to make this its focus when, in fact, we have difficulty here in terms of overall pledges of humanitarian assistance concerning refugee resettlement in Canada and the like?
Executive Director, Armenian National Committee of Canada
Of course I am not a involved in diplomacy. However, I can see certain things. Turkey is an ally of NATO. It would be much easier to establish a relationship with the Turkish government than with Syria.
First, people have to be made to understand the gravity of the situation within the Turkish government. Second, we have to find a way to contact Syrian authorities to let them know that the current situation will soon become a problem of survival for all of the communities over there, especially the Christian communities, and a solution must be found.
To my mind, we have to start with Turkey.
Representative, Government Relations Office, Ottawa, Armenian Church Diocese of Canada
If I may ask, I heard a two-part question there. You wanted to ask why are we more concerned about the army—
Liberal
Representative, Government Relations Office, Ottawa, Armenian Church Diocese of Canada
Or did you want to ask how we could direct aid directly to the Armenians?
Liberal
Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC
No, I want the exact opposite. In order words, that given all the catastrophic occurrences with regard to tragedies in Syria which I tried to identify and which in the last week, the last 10 days, we've passed some tragic milestones of an unprecedented nature, how do we get a focus on the plight of the Kassab community when we can't get a focus on all the other humanitarian tragedies? That's my point.
Representative, Government Relations Office, Ottawa, Armenian Church Diocese of Canada
The simple answer would be that Armenians have a great diaspora and we are very connected. The diaspora has sustained many of our older communities, our churches, our schools, our hospitals, our old age homes. These are all financed by contributions of worldwide Armenians. So the mechanism is already in place.
We have the.... We are now currently fundraising. We are currently donating. We are continuously doing this. There is never a period that an Armenian is not donating to an Armenian cause already because the need is great. So the mechanism is already in place.
We are here today to ask for help to make that help larger and also put the voice of Canada behind it if possible.
Liberal
Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC
My point is, as you can see, since I don't see the international voice on all the other issues and even on...with regard to....
Take Turkey. You speak to Turkey, they will ask you, why are you coming to us? We've absorbed more than 700,000 Syrian refugees from Syria. We need assistance with regard to the Syrian refugees.
My whole question is how do we make a distinguishable case for the Canadian government to identify this as a priority amidst all the other priorities that are being identified?
Representative, Government Relations Office, Ottawa, Armenian Church Diocese of Canada
From my perspective as an Armenian, a Canadian Armenian, I see this as a subgroup within that larger group. This group has already, as I mentioned in my notes...this is the third expulsion from the area. The pain is very large.
Liberal
Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC
I understand. Am I correct in saying that the community remains in Syria, that they are not part of the refugee community?
