Mr. Speaker, tonight we are all here to focus on the seriousness of the situation in Syria.
Human lives are at stake here. Women and children are suffering in Syria, and Syrian-Canadian families are suffering here in Canada as they wait to see their family members. For months, the NDP has been putting pressure on the government to fulfill Canada's humanitarian responsibilities in response to the conflict in this country. That means taking action. For months, we have been urging the government to take action to save lives, welcome refugees and reunite families.
To date, the Syrian civil war has caused the death of more than 70,000 people. In total, no fewer than 4 million people have been displaced within or outside the country, which is 20% of the population. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said this week that there are more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees in the surrounding countries. For a country like Jordan, with 6.5 million people, taking in 450,000 refugees is a massive challenge. Organizations and authorities on site are unable to keep up with demand for infrastructure, medical care and basic necessities.
A month ago, an HCR spokesperson, Adrian Edwards, warned that we are at a breaking point. With the alleged use of chemical weapons, the increased number of refugees and emerging epidemics, it seems that we are about to go beyond the breaking point if we have not already.
The Syrian conflict has been going on for two years now. Two years of combat, two years of internal fighting, two years of repression. The Canadian government has to face the facts: a political solution is not going to appear overnight and we must do whatever we can until then, whether that means supporting our allies, Syria's neighbouring countries, organizations on the ground or refugees fleeing the country in terror and insecurity.
The Canadian government cannot just keep giving speeches that are devoid of meaningful proposals. There needs to be a real plan. Otherwise, it is leaving the door open to massacres and merciless combats where no one wins and the people of Syria risk losing everything. Conversely, over the past few months, the NDP has taken action and come up with solutions to improve the lives of these refugees. We began by moving a motion in order to condemn the acts committed in Syria and get the Canadian government to do something to limit the impact of these abuses.
Then, on a number of occasions, my colleague from Ottawa Centre and I met with representatives from the Syrian community in Canada, something the Minister of Immigration has refused to do. They told us how upset they are about the current situation. They talked to us about the government's inaction both politically and in terms of humanitarian aid. They illustrated how important it is to take action in order to save lives. We need to take action right now, not six months or a year from now. Two ways we can act are by implementing procedures to expedite family reunification and by welcoming refugees.
This emergency debate is the time to think about the importance of adopting a real plan to limit the adverse effects on individuals, a people and an entire region. A more significant intervention by the international community seems unlikely at this time, given the opposition from permanent members of the Security Council that have veto power. Nonetheless, we can do something. We must do something.
The NDP believes that Canada must introduce meaningful measures to limit the effects of the Syrian crisis and live up to Canada's humanitarian responsibilities. We believe it is possible to take action and that we must do everything in our power to support the Syrian people, who are the primary victims of this bloody conflict. Canada must be there to support international organizations on the ground by providing equipment and supplies to improve the lives of refugees who have been in camps for months on end.
That shortcoming is obvious and inevitably has consequences on the health of refugees, and the safety and capacity of the camps.
In March, Doctors Without Borders drew attention to the fact that Syria's health care system was breaking down, hospital infrastructure was crumbling because of bombing, and thousands of women and children were at risk. It also highlighted the dangers of disease outbreaks, the increased numbers of infections and diseases as well as a significant increase in the number of miscarriages and premature births.
In addition, hundreds of thousands of people are crowding into small areas where resources are inadequate. Yes, the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced $48 million, but real action is still lacking.
The Canadian government must also focus on decreasing processing times for family sponsorship applications so that we can reunite Syrian families that are anxious about their loved ones. Their anxiety is made worse because sponsorship applications are being transferred and there are processing delays of 16 months in Ankara. That also increases the danger for Syrian applicants who have been waiting for months. In exceptional situations, exceptional measures need to be considered and taken. That is what must happen here, in the case of Syria's civil war.
Lastly, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism needs to introduce procedures to make it easier to welcome Syrian refugees. Millions of people have been displaced, and Canada has not stepped in to support them. The Canadian government has a moral duty to save lives and enable these people to leave the insecurity in which they live. We cannot shrink from Canada's responsibility to meet our humanitarian obligations.
To conclude, the situation is, of course, serious and the consequences are even more so. What is being done is not enough given the human tragedy taking place in Syria. There is also a complex political situation that will not make a political solution easy, as the minister suggested. Therefore, this political solution will be a long time coming. In the meantime, we must continue to act as effectively as possible and provide even more tools.
We need to keep on hoping to change things, keep on hoping that the situation of the refugees will be addressed and that we can improve their lives, keep on hoping that Canada will live up to its humanitarian responsibilities, keep on hoping that members of Parliament care about the fate of a population that has great need of our unwavering support.