Mr. Speaker, my North York riding is home to thousands of Canadian Kurds. I and my Conservative colleagues are gravely concerned about recent reports of attacks by Syrian forces against civilians in Aleppo. The attacks target the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods, which are home to half a million Syrians, mainly Kurds but also Christians, Yazidis and Druze. Innocent civilians, including women and children, are reported to be targeted. These attacks against the Kurds may escalate into mass atrocities.
The Kurdish people and other civilian religious minorities in Syria endured decades of displacement and unspeakable violence. These are clear violations of international law. I condemn any attacks against Kurdish civilians and call on Canada's government to stand up in defence of human rights of Syrian Kurds.