Mr. Speaker, for three years, the Canadian government has watched in silence as innocent civilians in Sri Lanka have been victims of their own country's armed forces.
When aid workers were executed by soldiers, Canada was silent. When hospitals, schools and churches were bombed, Canada was silent. Forced deportations, countless atrocities, mass disappearances and still silence.
The Sri Lankan government heard that silence loudly and now has forced a quarter of a million people into the jungle while banning foreign journalists from seeing the truth.
There is no more time for silence. Civilians are today the homeless targets of government bombing and shelling. I call upon the Canadian government to finally stand up for the human rights of the Tamil civilians and join international efforts to prevent one of the greatest humanitarian disasters of the century.