Madam Speaker, last week people along the Iraq-Iran border experienced devastation as a deadly earthquake struck the region. Iran claims that more than 1,000 people died and thousands more were injured. The majority of those affected are Kurds living south of the village of Halabja along the border and in Rojhilat, also known as Kermanshah in Iran.
The Kurds were already facing a humanitarian crisis, which now has intensified as a result of the earthquake. They are in dire need of basic life necessities such as water, food, medicine, clothing, and access to electricity, all of which they are being denied as a result of Iran's refusal to accept international assistance.
The need is immediate and visible online, with survivors posting videos of collapsed buildings and bodies in the streets. Rare street protests against the Iranian government have drawn attention to the slow response.
Canada must press Iran to stop discriminating against its own citizens and provide timely life-saving assistance in the face of disaster.
We share in the grief of affected families and let us offer a helping hand in their time of need.