Mr. Speaker, early yesterday morning I made my way to the Montreal airport to welcome home a Canadian mom and her three children.
Ola Elgadi spent more than a month trapped in Gaza after Egyptian authorities closed the Rafah border. While many Canadians question why a woman and three children would travel to a country under a travel advisory, the answer is simple: the undeniable and unbreakable bonds of family.
In August, Ola and her three daughters went to Gaza to visit their grandfather, who is very ill. The three girls, aged 12, 8, and 3, had never met their grandfather before.
Canadian citizens abroad, regardless of their country of origin, their religion, profession, race, sexual orientation, age, or gender, are Canadian citizens and deserve the aid of their government in times of need.
We cannot ask, we should not ask Canadian citizens to sacrifice their family bonds because their ancestry is not composed of Canadian citizens. To do so would simply be un-Canadian.
I welcome home the Elgadis, residents of Vaudreuil—Soulanges and proud Canadian citizens.