Citizenship and Immigration committee  In my opinion, any money spent by Canada or the United Nations would have better value if it were spent on resettlement, especially of the Christians in the north of Iraq. Then you wouldn't have to spend money in Syria and Jordan to keep the refugees in that situation.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes. If we are given self-rule in our homeland and money is spent for the resettlement of Assyrians and other religions into that area, that is very important. It's never appreciated that Assyrians joined the allies in World War I and World War II and sacrificed thousands of people for democracy and the Allies.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  With regard to the number, it's difficult to say at this end how many people would be coming to Canada, but it is a very simple matter to find out how many there are, because every refugee registers with UNHCR where he wants to resettle. That can be found from UNHCR sources in Syria and Jordan.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Excuse me, the main thing to remember is that we would very much like to see Assyrians settled in their own homeland so that they don't have to come to Canada or to other outside countries. But there are those who have lost their homes, and they are desperate. There are people who want to come.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  If I may, there are lots of refugees who do not have any relatives in Canada. So if Immigration Canada really shares a little bit under the JAS program, or a blended program, there would be some early-stage financial assistance for these people until they are able to find jobs. There are lots more who are waiting and really desperate to get to Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  The family class is a different thing. There's no problem in sponsoring under the family class, because the member of the family is here in Canada. There is no need for the communities to be involved. The main problem is that we want to sponsor those who do not have a close relative--just friends and distant relatives--so that we can bring them here.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'll just add to the question of the women at risk. I think it is because the insurgents know that the Christians have no protection, so they take the risk of kidnapping--or whatever they want to do--just for money's sake or because they know there's nobody to protect them. Also, unfortunately, they think that the Christians or Assyrians are pro-American and coalition forces, so they feel they're doing a duty to their country by just causing problems for smaller groups, really.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Our organization has a system whereby we find a member who is a resident of Canada and who is a relative of the refugee. We communicate so that instead of a refugee having to settle into a hotel or somewhere else, he can stay with someone. As long as there is someone who's a relative and who's willing to accommodate a person or a family temporarily until the new arrival has been able to find a job and can rent his own apartment, it's a plan with no problems at all.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  My name is Mirza Shmoil. I'm a Christian Assyrian originally from Iraq, but a loyal and grateful Canadian citizen. Our family came to Canada in 1968, and there were few Assyrian families in Toronto at that time. Today our population has increased to approximately 25,000 to 30,000 souls, and the majority have settled in Toronto, in the suburbs, while smaller communities exist in British Columbia, Alberta, Winnipeg, and Quebec.