Citizenship and Immigration committee  Good morning, and thank you, everyone, for allowing me to be here to represent the Yazidi Association of Manitoba. My name is Hadji Hesso. I stand before you today on behalf of my brothers and sisters, who are living in conditions of dire straits in Iraq and the rest of the Midd

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes. In Winnipeg, because the newly arrived Yazidi are met by the community and various helpers right from the day they arrive, they appear to be starting the new journey to recovery much sooner, and we are hopeful this will continue. This is significant because the Yazidi peopl

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I do want to thank the IRCC and the partnership. We at the Yazidi Association of Manitoba have sponsored a family in Winnipeg through the IRCC. We are co-operating and talk regularly back and forth. We do have help from them. For all the families that have arrived in Winnipeg, pa

Citizenship and Immigration committee  The number is almost equal to that in London, Ontario. Now we're noticing that there are a few families who have been arriving in Calgary also. I think there are about seven families in Calgary today. They have recently arrived.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Absolutely.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  That is much recommended, yes.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I would recommend that. I think it would provide much better services to everybody.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I would say so.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  To have the UNHCR approve applications makes Canada's job much easier, from what I understand, than in the past, as a former refugee myself more than 10 years in Syria. I think to have that number to expedite the cases.... If they can make a special case for the Yazidi, which is

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Absolutely.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  No. There was no Yazidi community. There was only one family, and that was 20 years ago.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I honestly don't know. We had a family in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, also. We brought them to Winnipeg. They wanted to be closer to the existing community.