Mr. Speaker, thousands of Lebanese Canadians call my community of Windsor-Essex home. It is a proud, peaceful and vibrant community and one of the largest in Canada. That community has been shaken by missile attacks and explosions carried out by Israel's government that have killed hundreds, injured thousands and forced countless Lebanese to flee their homes. How much more suffering must the people of Lebanon endure?
Members of my community fear an escalation of this terrible conflict and their hearts are wrenched about the safety of their families. This week I met with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Canada-Lebanon parliamentary association. Canada must continue to press Israel and Hezbollah for an immediate ceasefire, demand that innocent civilians be protected and demand that both parties end this suffering and end this war.