Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes. Over the past months there have been a few rounds of proximity or peace talks taking place in Geneva. Canada has been working with the opposition to help them prepare for those sessions, providing training on negotiations, helping them understand what's at play, and helping

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  You can be sure that the conversations we are having internally with partners and with Syrian civil society are about working towards supporting them and providing the help we can where it is needed. Programming is being rolled out and announced as decisions are taken. We're work

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for that question. We are working with the opposition. We are not providing any lethal assistance, just to be clear on this for the record. We sometimes meet with opposition groups. We have a special representative to the opposition who acts as a liaison, conveys Cana

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  As I've alluded to briefly, we're working with the U.K. to host the White Helmets in a few weeks in Canada. We're working closely with many members of the Syrian civil society, within Syria and outside of Syria, and certainly I'm pleased to say that the White Helmets are part of

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you. Yes, those issues and topics are often raised. They're very complex operations, and they're military operations, that must start with neutralizing, for example, air defences across the zone. That requires monitoring and enforcement. Safe zones in some cases create mor

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you for this question. To be frank, blunt, and direct, Canada itself has challenged this assumption by Russia. I could go on, but that's the basic response. We don't agree that this is the way toward peace in Syria, and in fact it's further radicalizing the opposition and

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm pleased to be here with my colleague Heather Jeffrey. Let me start early this afternoon with a grim quote: This is your last hope.... Save yourselves. If you do not leave these areas urgently, you will be annihilated..... You know that everyone has g

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Canada is providing humanitarian assistance in Syria but also around Syria. As to Aleppo specifically, perhaps I wasn't clear in my opening statement. While we are watching and we are supporting international organizations, the humanitarian assistance is no

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm happy to answer that question. Canada was invited in May to join the International Syria Support Group, which is a group of 26 countries represented at the foreign minister level, to come up with plans for a cessation of hostilities and to pave the w

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  The response is multi-faceted. First of all, let me perhaps break it up into three parts. First are the investigative mechanisms, and there Canada is contributing, for example, to the Commission for International Justice and Accountability for the fact gathering and evidence gath

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Yes, there is one, and again, it's complex. But our response is multi-faceted, whether it's taking part in the anti-Daesh coalition, leading the diplomatic efforts that do continue despite the outlook being grim, or supporting the victims, and that's the essence of the question a

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Good afternoon Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I am the executive director of the Middle East Relations division. In keeping with the alphabetical order, I am here to speak to you about Syria. There are frequent human rights violations in Syria. Unfortunately, they cont