Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that the situation in Syria is worrisome. People all over are worried right now. They are worried that the situation will spread and affect other countries in the area. But above all, this is an absolutely horrible and worrisome situation for Syrians themselves.
We are talking about 30,000 civilians who have been killed since the start of the events, countless people injured, homes destroyed, hunger, cold and fear. Fear is a very big factor in this situation.
I want to quote Mariam Hamou, from the Syrian community in London. When she appeared before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, Ms. Hamou said:
Torture has been reported in every city and town and affects every family. I do not want to get into the chilling details of what goes on, but I will share with the House one story that just sends chills down my spine. Women are being systematically raped in Syria.
Beyond the dead and wounded, it is a matter of human rights violations and sheer terror. We must put an end to what is going on, as the member from Ottawa Centre said a little earlier in this debate. We must continue diplomatic efforts and put all the necessary pressure on both the countries that think like us and those that do not. We must also do more to help.
We were all pleased to learn today that Canada would increase assistance for refugee camps in the surrounding countries, and we hope that this assistance will continue, because the situation continues and is getting worse and worse with winter approaching. I will come back to this issue a bit later.
As for Syrians in Syria, I would like to quote Faisal Alazem, who lives in Montreal in my region. This is what he told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development:
Domestically, many members of the Syrian Canadian community are worried about the fate of their families in Syria or those exiled out of Syria, and they therefore request that in keeping with Canada's long-standing tradition of concern for the displaced and persecuted, our Canadian government facilitate bringing their family members to join them in Canada. Many members of the Syrian Canadian community are concerned that no priority processing or family reunification program is in place to assist their families affected by the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Such measures were taken in 2007 for Iraq; they were taken for Algeria; and they were taken in 2010 for Haiti, after the earthquake.
He asked this question, and we did as well: why is there no priority program? We were told that the process had been expedited slightly. Yet, I remember that no effort was spared after the earthquake in Haiti. The government created a special program, and everyone worked together to bring people home and reunite families as quickly as possible.
In keeping with our long-standing Canadian tradition, why can we not do the same thing for Syria?
As Faisal Alazem said, it is important to the people of Syria and it is also important to the people living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. The United Nations predicts that by the end of the year, which is just around the corner, there will be 700,000 refugees living in neighbouring countries.
As I was saying earlier, winter has arrived. Some people believe that winter over there is not so bad. This morning it was 3oC in Aleppo. When you live in a house that is not built to Canadian standards, or in a tent, and it is 3oC, that is pretty cold. And life is very difficult with children who are malnourished, frightened and traumatized.
Yes, we are helping Syria. I was pleased to learn today that we will provide more aid. We were all pleased. However, these efforts must be sustained. We must also work with other countries and encourage them to provide additional aid. This is an urgent matter, and we must not allow this opportunity to save lives to pass us by.