Debates of Oct. 20th, 2016

Opposition Motion—Genocide Against the Yazidi people

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her very thoughtful speech.

All members certainly agree that the situation of these women and girls is just horrible.

Could my colleague tell us more about why it is important to develop short-term and long-term plans to help these women in need?

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this situation requires a short-term and a long-term plan.

In the short term, the priority is to quickly get them out of dangerous situations. Long-term plans should include care, education and everything we can provide them with here to help heal their wounds and help them start a new life.

Of course one day the conflict will end and they may wish to return. However, the short-term plan should consist of finding solutions to get them out of their vulnerable situation and to ensure their safety. After that, they will need treatment and the necessities of life.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her passionate speech on this very important issue. I agree that Canada is a very welcoming country. The story of the Yazidi women touches us all. Action is long overdue. One concern is processing delays.

Would the member not agree that we need to urge the government to waive the additional level of screening and bring Yazidis to Canada following the UNHCR screening process?

[Christine Moore, NDP, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question.

As I stated several times in my speech, for many of these women, every day counts. If we have reasonable assurances, any additional security screening could be done in Canada before their status is finalized. In their situation, every day counts. It is important that we get them out of their dangerous and vulnerable situations in order to save lives.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, at this point in the debate I will be re-asserting facts that have already been stated here, which I think are important.

Where are we at this point this afternoon in this honourable chamber after speaking about something so desperately alarming? As my hon. colleague just said, every day counts for these Yazidi women.

After more than two years of publicized atrocities, as well as several UN reports and an official declaration that genocide was occurring against the Yazidis, our response as a country has been overwhelmingly insufficient. It began with our reluctance to acknowledge that genocide was occurring, and we have proceeded now to a point where we know that we have to assert our Canadian identity. We have to assert our responsibility in the international community.

Oftentimes, in many other situations that we contemplate here, we say we are complicit when we are silent, so I am glad this afternoon that we know where everyone stands at this point in the process. I want to talk a little bit more about it and the next best steps to move forward. I hope we will see some common sense and some compassion in the government's action, because this is extremely frustrating, as it is one of those situations that are no-brainers.

It was back on April 20, 2016, that the Leader of the Opposition first presented a motion to the House of Commons that mentioned the atrocities by ISIL. Unfortunately, that motion failed to receive unanimous consent. Immediately following that, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs presented a similar motion, but with a different intent. From there we moved on to yet another motion on June 14, in which the Leader of the Opposition again asked the House to recognize the actions of ISIS as genocide. Despite significant support from the Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party, and a handful from the Liberal Party, the motion failed.

The day after the second motion was voted down, the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that he was proud of the House of Commons and he defended the defeat of the motion by underscoring that the Liberals wanted an assessment of genocide to be done properly. He referenced another of my hon. colleagues who sits on the Subcommittee on International Human Rights, and a motion that he had referred the matter to the International Criminal Court, to formally determine the existence of genocide and to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

That is a little bit of the history of how long we have been beating this dead horse, so to speak. The following day, on June 16, 2016, the commission of inquiry released its report, “They Came to Destroy: ISIS Crimes against the Yazidi”. The report detailed a multitude of horrific experiences and presented a number of important findings and recommendations to the international community.

In consequence, it is important for us now to understand our role and responsibility if we are to be significant actors in the international community.

Canada has an important role to play in addressing the threat that ISIS poses to the global community and in alleviating the suffering of civilians caught in the conflict. We have heard some of the very compelling descriptions of the vulnerable people, the young women and girls specifically, who have been targeted. It is very confounding to understand that in the House, strategy and political process can take precedence over expediting such a human rights issue for these women.

Forced displacement and forced recruitment of children, destruction and desecration of places of religious or cultural significance, and denial of fundamental freedoms have all been recorded in territory under the control of ISIS. This ongoing crisis seriously jeopardizes regional peace.

The NDP has called on the Government of Canada to work in partnership to support the development of responsible, peaceful, and democratic governance in Iraq, and to address the issue and combat the threat posed by ISIS, but also to take that role and responsibility in helping displaced and damaged people who need reprieve and who need Canada to step up as a compassionate actor in the international community.

In response to the humanitarian and security threat posed by ISIS, we know that part of our responsibility has been through a coalition of over 60 countries, which President Obama put together, with the objective of degrading and destroying ISIS. Many members of the coalition, including Norway, South Korea, and New Zealand, are making solely humanitarian and non-combatant contributions.

Some of us here today have already alluded to the face-to-face witness testimony we have had in a variety of different committees that we are privileged to sit on. It is very important to hear those testimonies, because those people will tell us things that may seem insignificant, but which have been powerful actions, nonetheless, despite not being military in nature. They have been actions of of compassion. We are accountable to the global community, and we can be doing so much more.

I would like to talk quickly about the role that the NDP believes Canada can play in addressing the threat that ISIS poses to the global community, and in alleviating the suffering of civilians who are caught in the conflict.

Of course, we have been saying for a long tine, and I will champion this again, that Canada must focus on stopping the flow of arms, funds, and foreign fighters, including by improving our anti-radicalization efforts right here at home. We should be providing considerable help to the vulnerable populations in Iraq and Syria, including basic humanitarian support, but also long-term support for recovery, such as psychosocial support to help these groups return to their communities and rebuild.

The NDP believes that the Canadian government, through the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, should exercise discretionary powers under section 25 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to immediately take action and bring the Yazidi people fleeing genocide to Canada, with the goal of immediately resettling 3,000 to 4,000 direct victims of genocide; and within the year end, a target of 10,000 through a special measure utilizing credible on-the-ground organizations to identify and select victims of genocide for resettlement in Canada.

These measures are to be above and beyond any pre-existing initiatives or policies.

We also believe that the additional level of Canadian screening is leading to severe delays, and we urge the government to waive the additional level of screening and bring Yazidis to Canada following the UNHCR screening.

Governments, like individuals, are defined not by their words or intentions but by their actions, particularly in the case of genocide, and it really is a matter of put up or shut up. When an entire people are being wiped out, the global community has an obligation to do what it can to protect them. If it is true, as the Prime Minister has stated, that Canada is back and the world needs more Canada, then this is something we can act on quickly.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

It is my duty, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the question to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment is as follows: the hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue, Health.

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I appreciate her commitment to international human rights issues in general. Certainly we have found a number of cases in this House when Conservatives and New Democrats have been able to find common ground on those kinds of issues.

I want to ask the member a question on the approach to the debate we have had today. We have really tried to move this in a nonpartisan direction. We accepted an amendment that removed some of the language that the government saw as more critical. Now we have a motion that should be supportable by all parties. It talks about the fundamental issue of protecting Yazidis. It gives the government a relatively extended timeline, and it gives a reasonable approach that is not from one party or another but really represents what the House should do together.

I really hope, and I would like to hear the member's thoughts, that we will see members of the government stand up and support this motion that gives them every reason to support it: reasonable targets, reasonable timelines.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I come from a riding, Windsor—Tecumseh, where there is huge awareness of social justice and social responsibility. There is also an awareness and an acceptance that it is almost implied that Canadian citizens have a role in activism. Members can imagine how perplexing it is for me coming to this honourable place and seeing some of the political strategizing that takes place.

We know that we are capable. We have laid out, all of us here today, some very practical ways. I even heard some mention of amendments being suggested by the governing party. We are capable here. Whatever is going on in terms of gamesmanship, I say let us set that aside and let us work to do what is compassionate and what makes sense in our role in the international community.

What it turns out to be, whether we have an alliance on—

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Order, please.

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, as it is my first time to rise today on this question, I want to register that I will be supporting the motion.

I am very concerned, as we all are, about the humanitarian crisis and the genocide of the Yazidi as a people. There is so much we can put in the category of crimes against humanity occurring in the region. We want to do whatever we can for the Yazidi. I will put a question for my friend from Windsor—Tecumseh in a moment.

I just want to also register that the ongoing devastation in Syria and the assault on Aleppo is a constant source of concern, and the world community has failed there. This is the closest I have seen to what might be called a hot war between superpowers in a very long time, and we should all be concerned.

My question is this. Do we know if the Yazidis want to come to Canada? I understand that their family ties are much closer with relatives in Germany.

[Cheryl Hardcastle, NDP, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her comments with respect to the whole situation and how alarming it is.

Sometimes there are ulterior motives that exacerbate the lives of people and families that are separated in several different countries. I would agree. People want the freedom to be reunited wherever they are. ¸

Canada has a role to play in the transitional justice that is required so that people who want to stay in their homeland, in their hometown, are part of the informal caregiving and support they need after suffering PTSD from this life. They also need to be eased into reuniting with their families or settled with families who are secure in other countries, no matter where they are across the globe.

It is part of our global responsibility to make sure that we are considering not just our military strategy but our humanitarian strategy. What do we do about the fallout that is humane? That is a big question, but it goes to the transition and the transitional justice Canada has to play a role in, definitely.

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Mr. Speaker, to start, I would like to mention that I will be sharing my time with the member for Kitchener—Conestoga.

It is an honour to speak to today's opposition day motion on the plight of the Yazidi people. I would like to start by reflecting on how Canadians have helped the oppressed around the world.

A good friend of mine worked with an NGO in Afghanistan for decades. Her role with this NGO was to help widowed women and their families, especially young girls, and teach them how to run businesses and look after their families as they survived wartorn Afghanistan.

When the Taliban took over, she was forced to leave and ended up working with displaced Afghan women and children in Pakistan. It was the world's military effort to go after the Taliban, including Canada's great sacrifice of our own men and women in our Armed Forces, that made it possible for her to return to Afghanistan and restart her courageous work. This has also helped return millions of young girls to school and to the beginning of a normal life.

I say this for three reasons. First is the need to recognize the need for a military presence in conflict areas. Second, humanitarian aid provided by Canadians is crucial. Third, people with big hearts make a difference. That passion, that commitment, that dedication is something we can show the Yazidi people with our words and our deeds as we debate this motion.

Today's motion dealt initially with five critical elements. It has since been amended.

First is that we recognize that ISIS is committing genocide against the Yazidi people. I know that when this discussion was first presented, the government was reluctant to use the term “genocide”, but I welcome its acceptance of the horrors and systemic crimes against humanity.

The June 15, 2016, United Nations Human Rights Council report, “They Came to Destroy: ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis”, made clear what we have been saying, which is that the Yazidis are victims of genocide, and it spoke of recommendations for the international community to embrace.

Second is acknowledging that many Yazidi women and girls are still being held captive as sexual slaves. As Canadians, and I am thinking specifically of our former colleague, Joy Smith, we have been champions in the fight against human trafficking, but the atrocities being perpetrated in an evil and systemic way upon Yazidi women and girls has taken this to the cruellest level of slavery and physical and sexual abuse.

To quote Nazand Begikhani, “These women have been treated like cattle. They have been subjected to physical and sexual violence, including systemic rape and sex slavery. They've been exposed in markets in Mosul and in Raqqa, Syria, carrying price tags”.

Dr. Widad Akreyi confirmed that ISIL uses slavery and rape as weapons of war.

The third point speaks about how urgent it is to have the government act. At the end of June, just two weeks after the UN Human Rights Council report, I, along with colleagues in the House, were part of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE, in Tbilisi, Georgia. Canada and the U.S. play a vital role in that organization, and I was honoured to speak at the OSCE on behalf of Canada about our action on human trafficking. We also heard about the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, the plight of migrants, and those who have been stuck in refugee camps, many for years and years, and how that was a grave concern.

In other areas, the organization Defend International reached out to Yazidi refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan, in December 2014, to provide humanitarian aid. In September 2014, Defend International launched a worldwide campaign, entitled “Save The Yazidis: The World Has To Act Now”, designed to raise awareness of the tragedy of the Yazidis in Sinjar and to coordinate activities to intensify efforts amid the rescuing of Yazidi and Christian women and girls captured by ISIL, and we should do no less.

The next part had us supporting recommendations found in the June 15, 2016 report issued by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria entitled “They Came to Destroy: ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis”.

To this end, there is an additional concern that Yazidis face. Some Yazidis struggle to obtain adequate protection because they are internally displaced, rather than being refugees under the United Nations definition. They do not have the resources to reach another country, and also have difficulty obtaining passports and other official documentation.

These points, in their own right, speak to the urgency of this crisis, and underline the need for the final part of the motion, that the government be called upon to take immediate action upon all of the recommendations found in sections 210, 212, and 213 of the report, and do so with great haste using its full authority to provide asylum to Yazidi women and girls within the next 30 days. We have amended this to 120 days.

It is important that we look at what those options are. In section 210, the commission recommends that parties fighting against ISIS in Syria and Iraq strongly consider rescue plans that are required for targeting the Yazidi captives. Second, that they ensure coordination between local and international armed forces where military operations target ISIS controlled regions where Yazidi captives are held. Third, that they use all means available to ensure Yazidis held captive by ISIS in Syria are rescued during on-going military operations, and that we put in place a protocol for the care and treatment of Yazidis rescued as areas are seized from ISIS. This is the military aspect of what is required.

Section 212 speaks of the definition of genocide, the humanitarian assistance, and of course, the support that is important as we discuss the international community. First, recognizing ISIS's commission of the crime of genocide against the Yazidis in Sinjar. Second, for those states that are contracting parties to the genocide convention, to engage with article 8 of the convention and call upon the competent organs of the United Nations, including the Security Council, to take such action under the charter of the United Nations to prevent and suppress acts of genocide. Third, that they provide expertise on request to assist in the preservation and documentation of mass grave sites.

Going further, and looking after the needs of individuals, it is required that they put funding in for psychosocial support programs with increased emphasis on trauma therapy for children, noting that Yazidi children suffered different violations depending on their sex. It requested funding and expertise to support the training of psychologists and social workers in Iraq and Syria.

The commission also recommends that organizations involved in the care of internally displaced Yazidi build and provide skill training programs aimed at allowing Yazidi women greater financial and social independence.

Section 213 deals with integration and safety, where the commission recommends that states and organizations involved in the care of Yazidi refugees and asylum-seekers ensure that Yazidi victims of genocide, including but not limited to sexual violence, are identified, and treated as a vulnerable group for the purposes of housing, psychosocial support, and with regard to the asylum process.

As we look at the needs of the Yazidi people, it is so important that we look at things that we can do. I have outlined the three parts of the UN report, but can we expedite the asylum claims of the Yazidi people to Canada?

Will we treat the declaration of genocide as an immediate call to action for Canada, in which a whole of government approach to humanitarian aid, military intervention, and resettlement would be acted upon?

Will we act upon the June 2016 UN recommendations to accelerate the asylum claims of the Yazidi victims of genocide?

Will we review the selection process used by the UN to identify refugees for the government sponsored refugee stream?

Will we examine the need to restore the exemption for Syrian and Iraqi refugees from the mission cap under the privately sponsored refugee program in order to fully harness the generosity of Canadian private sponsors?

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this very important issue.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, since I took part in the same mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe as my colleague, I heard his speech on human trafficking before the OSCE general assembly in Georgia.

I can attest to his commitment to the issue of human trafficking and the huge impression his speech made on all the OSCE delegates.

He touched on the support programs for young Yazidi women once they arrive here in Canada. In the member's opinion, what services should Canada put in place to support these girls and women who, let us face it, have faced such hardships? I would like to hear his thoughts on that.

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable for his very relevant question.

As a former school teacher, I am very concerned about the issues surrounding young people as they try to get a basis for where they are going in the future. When we see those individuals who have been tormented and have gone through terrible stress, opportunities for them are something we should be extremely concerned about.

There has been discussion over the last number of hours about how Syrian refugees are being looked after. I know that in so many ways it has been left to the school system to help coordinate and provide training, but it is even more important when we think about the terrible atrocities that have taken place against women and girls who have come from such a difficult place.

I know that if we work together, we will find ways to assist.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my question involves the support services for Yazidi women and girls if and when they arrive in Canada.

Quite often this afternoon, I heard a comparison being made of another refugee group to Yazidi women and girls. As a teacher as well, I know there is a need for socialization, for groups to be cohesive.

How much preparation is required and what is involved in having services here on the ground that best meet the needs of these women and girls arriving in Canada, when they do not travel with families?

They leave one isolated area, some of them having lived in camps, and others having been through horrendous circumstances, and come to a foreign land, where they know no one.

In my experience, with the Syrian families in my riding, they were well-accepted and supported by families. They had not been involved in the level of violence that the young Yazidi women have, so they were more easily accepted, prepared, and supported within the community.

Support services really need to be seriously looked at. What is the best fit for the needs of these women and girls arriving in Canada?

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that is important. Even in the case of the Syrian refugees, it was very difficult. The school system was not ready and had to make many changes.

We should start by looking at private sponsors. Many of them put their hearts out, and are looking for opportunities to assist. They understand the need to bring in refugees, and are looking to help those who have been hurt the worst in some of these situations.

It is true that it is difficult for people to leave their homes, but to suggest that it is any different for the Yazidi women and girls to find a place of refuge than it would be for any other refugee perhaps goes beyond the point that needs to be made.

We have the good hearts of Canadians, and they will make sure it gets done.

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have had the honour in the past 10 years that I have served in this House to stand up many times for vulnerable groups. It has been said that a government can be judged best by how it treats its most vulnerable.

Today, I rise in the House to stand up for one of the most vulnerable people groups in our world today. I have had the opportunity to meet several Yazidi people. They are a very brave and courageous people. Yazidis have experienced things that we could not even begin to imagine, and here they are asking, in fact they are pleading for us to step forward, and for Canada to provide the assistance that we are more than capable of providing in this very devastating time in their lives.

Time is running out for the Yazidis. Canada must act now. The Minister of Immigration cannot start a new study or hold consultations on this topic. The Yazidi people are on the brink of extinction, and their time is almost up.

Concentrated in northern Iraq, the Yazidi people, a religious minority, is made up of around 700,000 people. They practice one of the oldest religions in the Middle East, dating back 6,000 years. If this genocide, being committed by ISIS, is successful, thousands and thousands of years of culture, language, and history will be wiped off the face of the earth. We must do everything we can to preserve this distinct and unique culture, and ensure that their lives and way of life are protected.

On June 15, 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council issued its report, “They Came to Destroy: ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis”, which declared Yazidis are victims of genocide, and outlined a number of recommendations for the international community.

With respect to the motion put forward today by my hon. colleague, the member of Parliament for Calgary Nose Hill, we are calling on the government to take immediate action on sections 210, 212, and 213.

I will not read all of the sections in their entirety, but will point out a number of crucial actions that are called for in each of the recommendations:

210. The Commission recommends that parties fighting against ISIS in Syria and Iraq:

(a) Strongly consider rescue plans targeted at Yazidi captives;

(b) Ensure coordination between local and international armed forces where military operations target ISIS controlled regions where Yazidi captives are held;

(c) Use all means available to ensure Yazidis held captive by ISIS in Syria are rescued during on-going military operations; and

(d) Put in place a protocol for the care and treatment of Yazidis rescued as areas are seized from ISIS.

212. The Commission recommends to the international community:

(a) Recognize ISIS’s commission of the crime of genocide against the Yazidis of Sinjar;

(b) For those States that are contracting Parties to the Genocide Convention, engage with Article 8 of the Convention, and call upon the competent organs of the United Nations, including the Security Council, to take such action under the Charter of the United Nations to prevent and suppress acts of genocide;

(c) Provide expertise, on request, to assist in the preservation and documentation of mass grave sites;

(d) Provide further funding for psychosocial support programmes, with increased emphasis on trauma therapy for children, noting that Yazidi children suffered different violations depending on their sex.

213. The Commission recommends that States and organizations involved in the care of Yazidi refugees and asylum-seekers:

(a) Ensure that Yazidi victims of genocide, including but not limited to sexual violence, are identified and treated as a vulnerable group for the purposes of housing, psychosocial support, and with regard to the asylum process.

I cannot say it enough, the time for action is now. The NDP and the Conservative Party have unanimously moved forward on this topic. It was the Liberal Party that did not support our previous motion on June 9, more than four months ago. No action.

The motion was as follows:

That the House agree that ISIS is responsible for: (a) crimes against humanity aimed at groups such as Christians, Yazidis, and Shia Muslims, as well as other religious and ethnic minorities in Syria and Iraq; (b) utilizing rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war and enslaving women and girls; and (c) targeting gays and lesbians who have been tortured and murdered; and, as a consequence, that the House strongly condemn these atrocities and declare that these crimes constitute genocide.

At that time, we were asking for an acknowledgement that a genocide was occurring, but the Liberals did not support our motion. In fact, they defeated it. Imagine, not even an admission that a genocide was occurring.

Only two days after the motion was defeated in the House, the United Nations issued a report that proclaimed what we already knew, that Yazidis in Iraq and Syria were, in fact, facing systemic extermination. The UN named these crimes against the Yazidis for what they were, genocide. Only then did the government finally choose to call it a genocide. So much for Canada being back. So much for Canada actually leading.

In any event, I am glad the government finally made the change and recognized this as a genocide. However, words are not enough. We need action. We need to walk the talk. Let us see some action today.

One of the disturbing accounts we heard was that of a UN goodwill ambassador, Nadia Murad, a young Yazidi of 22 years of age. At the Standing Committee of Citizenship and Immigration she gave her testimony about the genocide and sexual slavery. She shared the very real and personal account of her story.

Ms. Murad described how her normal life of studying, friends, and peaceful coexistence with other religions was shattered when ISIS attacked her village in Sinjar, northern Iraq, on August 3, 2014. According to Ms. Murad, after 12 days under siege, ISIS gathered the villagers at the school, separating men from women. The men were shot, more than 700, in a matter of two hours. Young girls and women were taken to Mosul, Iraq, where they were held captive, forcibly converted, raped, and sold into slavery.

This is only one account of the atrocities that are currently happening in that region. In its recent report on the genocide of the Yazidi people in Sinjar, Iraq, the United Nations documented that thousands of men and boys were slaughtered in the streets, shot in the head, or even beheaded. In some cases, family members were forced to witness these killings.

The UN reports witness accounts of roads littered with corpses, the bodies of Yazidis who had refused to convert to Islam. For those Yazidis who are still in that region, rape, torture, and murder are everyday experiences. However, an audit of the Syrian refugee camps found that only three identified as Yazidi. The executive of the advocacy group Yazda has called this process flawed, unfair, and unacceptable. He has called on Canada to impose a quota of 5,000 to 10,000 Yazidi refugees, targeting the most vulnerable survivors of the genocide.

However, we know that immigration is not the only avenue through which we can help this vulnerable group. An article in The Washington Post, written by Ameena Saeed Hasan and Khaleel Aldakhi, outlines the need for military involvement. The article states:

We save as many victims as we can and provide care to help rehabilitate them. Thus far, however, we’ve been able to help only a small number of the 3,700 who are enslaved. We believe most are in Mosul, which is Iraq’s second-largest city, the Islamic State’s most important stronghold...and the largest urban center under the Islamic State’s control. So intense is the suffering of these women and girls that they tell us that they want the United States and other countries to attack Mosul....

Let us remember the cause of this crisis is ISIS. It was shameful to see how one of the first acts the government took was to withdraw Canada and our CF-18s out of the fight against ISIS. Canada's men and women in uniform serve our country with great distinction. When called upon, the Canadian Armed Forces have played a leading role on the world stage, protecting and promoting the Canadian values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.

Our military personnel, under the previous government, provided strategic airlift support for military supplies to Iraq. We provided $10 million in non-lethal security assistance to Iraq, including equipment like helmets, body armour, and logistical support for vehicles. We also contributed critical humanitarian aid to directly benefit the people of Iraq who are impacted by the ongoing conflict.

In conclusion, I would plead with the Liberal government that it immediately expedite the asylum claims of the Yazidi people to Canada and take immediate action upon all the recommendations that I listed above under the UN report titled “'They came to destroy': ISIS Crimes Against the Yazidis”.

I call on my colleagues to pass the motion tabled by my colleague from Calgary Nose Hill. The time to act is now.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada understands the plight of the Yazidi people. We understand the horrors that are taking place and we want to provide assurances to all Canadians that the government is doing whatever it can to ease the plight of what is taking place.

If one wants a demonstration of the goodwill of the government, all one needs to do is to take a look at the approach of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and in fact the cabinet to dealing with refugees. When the commitment was there to help Syria and the refugee crisis that loomed there, Canada came up to the plate. We have demonstrated leadership in the past. We will continue to do that into the future.

It goes without saying that Canadians have set a high bar, which we plan to achieve. What is happening to the Yazidi women and girls in particular is horrific. We understand their plight and we are doing the very best we can to address that very strong need.

Would the member not agree that at the end of the day what is most important is that the government uses whatever it has as its means to demonstrate that it not only cares but it will act. Actions speak louder than words. One of the best things we could do is to do exactly what we did with Syria and bring refugees to Canada.

[Harold Albrecht, Conservative, Kitchener—Conestoga, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more. In fact I said during my remarks that actions speak louder than words. I said that we need to walk the talk.

I applaud the resettlement of the refugees who have come here from Syria, but my question to my colleague is this. Why do we have a cap on the private sponsorship as it relates to the Iraqi and the Yazidis in Iraq? Under our government, there was no cap.

My family has had the privilege and the honour of helping refugees settle here in Canada. We have hosted them in our home. They lived with us until they were able to find accommodation. We helped them with their logistical needs, getting OHIP coverage, finding a place to live, and all of the things that go with that.

However, this method of resettling refugees is one of the most effective there is. Private sponsorship, where a family can actually walk alongside a refugee family or a refugee person for at least a year to help them get settled here in this great country, is what we need.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

It being 5:15 p.m., pursuant to an order made earlier today, all questions necessary to dispose of the opposition motion are deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred until Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at the expiry of the time provided for oral questions.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am sure if you were to canvass the House you would find there is a will to see the clock at 5:30 so that we can begin private members' hour.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

It being 5:30 p.m., the House will now proceed to the consideration of private members' business as listed on today's Order Paper.

The House resumed from June 2 consideration of the motion that BillC-240, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (tax credit—first aid), be read the second time and referred to a committee.