Mr. Speaker, I have been on my feet many times in this place talking about the plight of the Yazidi people of northern Iraq and surrounding regions. They are probably some of the most persecuted people in the world. They face extreme persecution at the hands of extremists in the religious majority in the area. They are undisputed survivors of genocide, and the international community has a lot of work to do, when we say “never again”, in actually applying it to these people.
The government committed four months ago to assist Yazidi victims of genocide with a broad range of services. This does not just mean resettling refugees. Canada has a horrendous track record in identifying and bringing Yazidis to Canada. In fact, the government has brought none through the government-assisted program, in spite of the fact that it claims to welcome refugees.
It means that we need to ensure that we are supporting these people in terms of recovery from the atrocities they and their families have been through. It means aid to the region, support for rebuilding infrastructure, and asking the tough questions about what Canada's role is in the fight to contain ISIS, given that their homelands are not secure or safe.
The government, frankly, has shown a lack of compassion to these people, as has the international community.
I stood in the House and asked a very simple question: Has the government contacted any NGOs? There are many NGOs doing excellent work in this area. I asked if it had contacted NGOs to help identify Yazidi refugees to come to Canada, and I got no response. It was actually quite shameful.
Right now, NGOs have identified displaced persons in Iraq, as well as in refugee camps in Turkey, who could be here, basically with the stroke of the minister's pen. Yet the government refuses to work through these groups. Why? It is because it wants to rely solely on the UN to refer refugees to Canada. It uses the line, “We do not use religion to prioritize refugees to come to Canada”, yet it is exactly these people's religion that is causing them to be the most persecuted and vulnerable people in the world. They, in turn, require our support.
The government has this dichotomy. It is passing the buck to the UN and refusing to take action. It is like it only wants the glory and the photo op with other refugees. It is not servicing the most vulnerable. It is not supporting these people.
The reason it is so important for the government to identify which NGOs they are working with is that it shows the international community that what the UN is doing to help these people is not good enough. The international community needs to send a message to the UN that these people are not safe in refugee camps and that they are not being put on referral lists to come to countries like Canada, the U.S., and Australia. In fact, many Yazidi people have actually said that the UN is actively discriminating against them by giving them appointment dates that are years and years in the future.
My question is very simple. With dozens of NGOs working in this area internationally, which NGOs has the minister and the government contacted to ensure that Yazidi refugees, both in Iraq and out, are being identified for sponsorship to Canada?