As I was saying, Mr. Speaker, we need to help the Yazidis and also the Christians there.
The debate today and the motion is about Yazidis but it could just as easily be about Christians. For the first time in over 2,000 years, there are no Christians left in Mosul. They have been obliterated while the world stood by and watched. According to the latest census in Canada more than 60% of Canadians claim to be Christian. How can our country stand by and watch while our brothers and sisters are erased from the planet?
The Christian population of Syria alone has gone from 30% in 1920 to less than 10% today. That is 4.4 million people, or nearly the equivalent of the Holocaust. Although the motion is about rescuing the Yazidis, which is critical, the same could be said and should be said for persecuted Christians.
I call on the Liberal government to fast-track the refugee claims of Yazidis seeking to come to Canada. The reality is that very few Yazidi people have been recommended for resettlement in Canada. Many Yazidi victims wait more than five years for resettlement by the UNHCR. This is not just another refugee crisis. This is clearly an act of genocide based on religious beliefs. Both the UN and this government have recognized this.
I am calling on the Liberal government to act to rescue these Yazidis, especially Yazidi women and girls, bring them to Canada, and save them from brutal acts and death. Please have mercy. Please act now. We have been talking about this for almost a year.