Mr. Speaker, since last fall's debate about Canada's participation in the fight against the Islamic State, the threat that this vicious and repugnant organization poses to the region and western countries, including Canada, has persisted. This group continues to commit horrible acts of violence against innocent civilians and to threaten the safety of countries in the region and elsewhere.
The weekend of March 14 and 15 marked four years since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, a crisis resulting from President Bashar al-Assad's brutal repression of his own citizens. I wanted to mention that because the chaos and violence spawned by the Assad regime created an opening for the Islamic State to wade into the conflict and extend its reach. The Islamic State's disgusting and hateful persecution of civilians, ethnic minorities and religious groups in Iraq and Syria and the resulting humanitarian crisis make it clear that there is a need for strong intervention.
I am proud to say that Canada is getting involved on all fronts and that it is combining its diplomatic and military efforts with those of its partners in over 60 countries who share a common perspective. The air strikes and other deployments that the courageous members of our armed forces are participating in are making an important contribution. Our soldiers deserve our unwavering support.
ISIL's horrific campaign of terror and violence has been tormenting the people of Iraq and Syria. It also threatens stability and security in the Middle East and beyond. Over the past few months, we have noticed that groups affiliated with ISIL in Libya and Egypt, and more recently Boko Haram, a group whose violence was unequalled before the emergence of ISIL, have pledged allegiance to that organization.
Countries in the region are more affected by the crisis and are working to overcome this serious humanitarian crisis by taking strong action. Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt have welcomed over two million refugees who have fled the war in Syria and the brutality of ISIL. Saudi Arabia has given hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to help the Iraqis displaced by the conflict. Kuwait and other countries in the region are also providing humanitarian aid, and so are our western allies and many other stakeholders.
The barbaric acts perpetrated by ISIL demonstrate not only its total indifference to human rights, but also its absolute contempt for other cultures. Earlier this month in Iraq, ISIL deliberately destroyed the renowned historic site of Nimrud, which dates back over 3,000 years. ISIL is destroying not only Iraqi and Syrian archeological sites, but also cultural treasures that belong to us all.
I believe that we all agree on the need to fight with resolve against the threat that is the Islamic State, not just in Iraq and Syria, but also in the region and around the world. Canadians are guided by values such as peace, democracy, religious freedom and pluralism. We want everyone to be able to live in a free and democratic society based on respect for human rights and the rule of law. Canada supports the aspirations of the people of Iraq and Syria to establish stable and democratic societies that protect the fundamental rights of their people. They deserve our help in the fight against the Islamic State so that they can make progress in achieving this objective.
The fundamental question is this: how can we defeat the Islamic State and what is the best way to work together with our partners to help make the Middle East safe for everyone?
This question has been studied by our partners, the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand and, with more urgency, by the countries in the Middle East.
Last September, 10 countries in the Middle East and North Africa met in Jeddah in order to join the international coalition against the Islamic State. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain joined the air campaign against the Islamic State in Syria a few weeks later.
Turkey, a NATO ally, decided not only to fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, but also to give foreign troops access to its military bases for that purpose. Active participation of regional powers in the international coalition against the Islamic State is essential. What is more, their participation in air strikes helps to degrade the Islamic State group.
The participation of predominantly Muslim countries, such as Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, also helps to undermine the simplistic and twisted propaganda spread by the Islamic State holding that their opponents are enemies of Islam. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, religious Muslim leaders strongly denounce the Islamic State and its beliefs. The war waged by this group is not between Muslims and non-Muslims, or between Sunnis and Shiites. The number of countries and people opposed to the violent and extremist ideology of the Islamic State continues to grow, and includes a number of predominantly Sunni Muslim countries.
The Islamic State makes no secret of its expansionist designs. The threat it poses to Iraq's neighbours and Canada's friends in the region is not indirect. On the contrary, it is immediate and very direct, and is at their borders and even within their territories.
As we know, the issues of terrorism financing and the recruitment of foreign fighters that affect western countries are particularly acute in countries in the region. ISIL is not only actively recruiting fighters in several countries in the region, including in the Maghreb, where it has set up clandestine cells, but is reaching out to target young people well beyond the region. The cases of young people from North America and Europe being lured to join ISIL in Syria and Iraq are worrying, especially for their families.
The horrific threat posed by ISIL has drawn together nations from across the world, stretching over religious, ethnic, and geographic divides. ISIL's aims and ideology have generated near universal disgust among civilized peoples.
Iran and Syria claim to stand on the right side of history in the fight against ISIL, but make no mistake, Iran and Syria are not partners. It is the ideology and actions of these regimes that helped to create the conditions that have allowed ISIL to flourish. They do not stand for peace and stability. They stand with terror. They support sectarian forces across the Middle East, and they continue to persecute and deny the human rights and freedoms of their own citizens. Their violent aims further inflame sectarian divisions and continue to destabilize the region.
The Assad regime in Syria has for four years violated international law on many occasions. It can no longer be regarded as a legitimate member of the international community. As documented and widely reported, the regime has repeatedly unleashed the terror of chemical weapons against its own people, combatants and civilians alike.
ISIL continues to threaten Iraq and other states in the region from its bases in Syria. Canada will support the people of Syria in achieving their democratic aspirations and welcomes efforts aimed at ensuring that the Assad regime does not unduly benefit from efforts to combat ISIL in Syria.
A development of serious concern to Canada and its partners is the role Iran has assumed in Iraq over the past several months to fight ISIL with its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds force. Members may remember that the IRGC Quds force is a listed terrorist entity responsible for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks of the past decades. This force can only compromise and complicate efforts to bring long-term peace and stability to Iraq and the region. It is arming and directing Shia militias within Iraq and is undermining attempts by the new government to gain the trust of its Sunni population and and to build an inclusive government in Baghdad.
This is no accident. An independent and inclusive government representative of Iraq's diverse communities would not be in Iran's interest. There is no way that Syria and Iran can be part of a peaceful long-term solution when they refuse to change their ways. They remain a large part of the problem.
Over four years ago, the forerunner of ISIL was considered defeated in Iraq. A lot has happened since then. The reality is that the only way to defeat ISIL definitively is to eliminate the conditions that have allowed it to grow. A just political solution to the war in Syria must be found, and the government of Bashar al-Assad must fully commit, in word and deed, to addressing Iraq's sectarian and ethnic divides.
We know that a stable, secure, and prosperous Iraq that embraces pluralism and religious diversity is a key factor for regional stability and would be a model for others in the Middle East.
We know that ISIL is recruiting its fighters from all over the world, including from Canada. We are aware that ISIL's propaganda includes threats to destroy Canada. We cannot treat ISIL as a remote problem that only affects countries in the region. We should continue to be part of the international coalition and do everything in our power to stop ISIL.
