Madam Speaker, I rise tonight with sorrow and pain, and with a heavy heart, to join in this emergency debate and to use my voice. There is a political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Lebanon, my beloved homeland, a place that many thousands of families in my community have ancestral ties to.
As we stand here today, many fear that this is the beginning of a full-scale invasion that will lead not only to further loss of life in the Middle East but also, possibly, to a third world war. We are witnessing the destruction of buildings and infrastructure. Many civilians have died, including two Canadians; their sons say they were fleeing to safety on a congested highway. I grieve alongside their family and loved ones. These are unnecessary, avoidable deaths. These people should be with us today.
According to Lebanon's acting Prime Minister, the number of displaced Lebanese people is nearing one million, the largest number the country has had to handle. We know that there are tens of thousands of Canadians in Lebanon, and that is why the minister and the Government of Canada have been urging Canadians to leave Lebanon for almost a year now. I do not know how many times I have repeated that call in Halifax and beyond.
The escalation of war in the region would be catastrophic. Lebanon already has the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. The Lebanese people are at risk of losing their lives, livelihoods, sovereignty and independence. Canada must do what it did in 1956 and be a leader in establishing an international force to stabilize Lebanon and the region, act as a peacemaker and help address the displacement of people in the region. I presented a petition last week from hundreds of Lebanese Canadians calling upon the Government of Canada to do just that, and I know many thousands would echo them.
I have been clear and consistent in my own position, and this informs the advocacy I have been doing, particularly over the last number of months. We must call, and continue to call, for all parties to de-escalate. War will not help anyone achieve their objectives. We must protect civilians, the elderly, children and women. We must safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon, a beautiful, diverse and proud nation that we should remember is smaller in size than Prince Edward Island, at 10,452 square kilometres. That number is etched in the hearts and in the minds of all Lebanese people. Growing up, we used to buy, necklaces that have those numbers on them. We still do. This is our Lebanon; nothing less.
I have been seeing posts all day today from people in my riding and people I know, and they break my heart. There are posts saying, “In Lebanon, we survive in pieces, yet somehow remain whole” and “It's why we think of Lebanon as the land of heartbreak and hope intertwined.”
I was fortunate enough to live a number of years in Lebanon and attend elementary school there. In 1975, the fighting started, and then it escalated. Schools closed, medication and food started to get scarce, people were killed, roads were destroyed and the airport closed. My family was one of those who ended up escaping in the summer of 1976. It was devastating, and the journey was tough and rough; however, we were some of the lucky ones. Once we eventually reached Halifax, we had a home and my parents had an existing business. The trauma was real, but we were safe.
I learned the English language and, years later, was one of the top students as I graduated grade 12. I was a young girl of 10 years and 11 years of age at the time, and I blocked out a lot of the trauma in my older age. However, every time I heard about the deaths, the destruction and the hostilities in the region, the pain was there.
In 2006, I was a mother of four children ranging in age from five to 18. We had planned for over two years to take a family trip in July to see our family and homeland. Two to three days into our trip, missiles and bombs began to drop. As Canadians, we were terrorized. What would happen? How long would it last? We had work to return to. The kids had school. We had commitments. Countries called their nationals and told them, “Come, be evacuated by sea.” We were registered with the Canadian embassy and received the call. I will say, it was a nightmare.
That is the truth that I and many survived. This is the lived experience that informs me in this moment.
Canada has a duty to use every tool in our diplomatic tool box to prevent this destruction of lives; indeed, Lebanon is a country we have had strong relations with for over seven decades. We must make all diplomatic contacts possible to mobilize the G7 to respond to this crisis. We must facilitate negotiations at the UN Security Council. Canada must pressure all sides not to bomb the airport in Beirut, the port and the critical infrastructure that people there depend on.
In the face of a dire shortage of medication, Canada must respond with humanitarian aid and match donations to trusted organizations, such as the Lebanese Red Cross. The Lebanese ministry of health has released a list of needed medications, and I believe we must do everything we can to help ensure that supplies are provided and distributed as quickly as logistically possible. Over the weekend, new support was announced for Lebanon; I am grateful to the minister and his team for that.
I know better than most how disastrous an evacuation could be for Canadians in Lebanon. According to the Canadian embassy, Canadians are the largest foreign community in Lebanon. We must do everything we can to avoid reaching that point, but we must prepare for the possibility as well. I also believe we have a duty to streamline IRCC processes in order to assist Lebanese citizens who are currently in Canada but cannot return to their home country at this moment. These are all points I have made in my conversations in the last several weeks, and I am grateful to have had the chance to discuss them personally with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and many colleagues.
As an MP who has publicly called for a ceasefire in Gaza for almost a year now, I was deeply relieved to see Canada stand with many of our allies to call for a 21-day ceasefire at the Israel-Lebanon border. This is a recognition of a growing consensus. Too many civilians have suffered because of the violence in the region, and it must stop. Lebanese and Israeli people deserve nothing less than peace and security. A ceasefire is the only way to reach that goal.
I would tell Canadians in Lebanon that they should please prioritize their safety. They should leave while flights are available; it is the safest and easiest way to do so. While Canada is not evacuating Canadians in Lebanon at this time, we are helping Canadians who want to leave to take advantage of available commercial flights. I recognize there are some who may not wish to leave. Canadians in Lebanon should register with the registration of Canadians abroad at our embassy in Beirut to receive critical information. We know that some airlines have temporarily suspended service, and that is why the Government of Canada has assisted with seats on airplanes. If people register as wanting to leave, they will get a call and have all that information. There is assistance if they need travel documents and cannot find them. There is a line to assist with the required electronic travel authorizations.
In closing, I want to thank the member who called for tonight's debate. I want to say that the people of Lebanon do not want war. They want peace and security. May God bless Lebanon and this country.
