Minister probes report boys who died were trying to come to Canada (original) (raw)
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Minister probes report boys who died were trying to come to Canada
Published Sep 03, 2015 • Last updated Jun 02, 2020 • 4 minute read
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Canada's Citizenship and Immigration minister Chris Alexander speaks at a Canadian citizenship ceremony at Fort Calgary on Wednesday February 19, 2014. Photo by Gavin Young Gavin Young /Calgary Herald
Chris Alexander, the minister of immigration and citizenship and Conservative candidate for Ajax, returned to Ottawa Thursday to investigate the Ottawa Citizen’s report that two small boys whose bodies washed up on a Turkish beach this week were trying to get to Canada.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper was in Surrey, B.C. for a campaign-related announcement. However, there were reports he would cancel that announcement and publicly address the refugee tragedy instead.
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Conservative candidate Jason Kenney, meanwhile, cancelled plans for what had been billed as an “important announcement on Conservative efforts to protect the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and the security of Canada.”
In a statement, Alexander said: “Like all Canadians, I was deeply saddened by that image and of the many other images of the plight of the Syrian and Iraqi migrants fleeing persecution at the hands of ISIS.”
On Wednesday, photos of a small boy, dressed in a red shirt and blue pants, complete with velcro shoes, brought attention to the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean as refugees from conflict in the Middle East flee the devastation.
Warning to readers: The Citizen has chosen to include below a graphic image of the boy’s body, which some readers may find offensive.
The boys were Kurdish refugees from Kobane, Syria, whose family had been desperately trying to emigrate to Canada. Galib Kurdi, five, and his three-year-old brother, Alan, died along with their mother, Rehand, and eight other refugees when their boat overturned in a desperate flight from Turkey to the Greek island of Kos.
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The boys’ father, Abdullah, survived. He told Reuters that Canada has now offered him citizenship but he had declined.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Toronto Thursday, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said the government must immediately comply with a United Nations request to take in 10,000 more refugees from Syria.
“We could take them in immediately, that’s clear,” he said.
“It would be very easy today to start assigning blame. Certainly Minister Chris Alexander has some questions to answer. Today, the question is what is the origin of this collective international failure and what is our current obligation collectively to find answers? Enough is enough. We cannot continue to see these images.”
At a press conference in Brossard, Que., Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said, “Canada should be doing more, and should have done more.
“You don’t get to suddenly discover compassion in the middle of an election campaign,” Trudeau told reporters, referring to Alexander.
Alexander said that the “tragic photo of young Alan Kurdi,” as well as the news of the death of his brother and mother, “broke hearts around the world.”
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A Turkish police officer stands next to a migrant child’s dead body off the shores in Bodrum, southern Turkey, on September 2, 2015 after a boat carrying refugees sank while attempting to reach the Greek island of Kos. Thousands of refugees and migrants arrived in Athens on September 2, as Greek ministers held talks on the crisis, with Europe struggling to cope with the huge influx fleeing war and repression in the Middle East and Africa. Photo by STR /AFP/Getty Images
Alexander’s return to Ottawa on government business was unusual. Ministers are expected to exercise “restraint” under the caretaker convention that kicked in when the election was called. As minister, however, Alexander is responsible for taking whatever action is necessary in event of a crisis or a disaster. The guidelines specifically say ministers can take action “where it is urgent and in the public interest” such as a natural disaster.
Alexander said he planned to meet with officials Thursday “to ascertain both the facts of the case of the Kurdi family and to receive an update on the migrant crisis.”
Alexander said Canada “has one of the most generous per capita immigration and refugee resettlement programs in the world,” and pointed out that his government has “set a target for Canada to accept 23,000 Iraqis refugees and 11,300 Syrians and has already resettled 22,000 Iraqis and 2,300 Syrians.
Meanwhile, a refugee advocacy group said the two young boys could be alive today if Canada had responded better to the Syrian refugee crisis.
The Canadian Council for Refugees is calling for Syrians with family in Canada to be allowed entry immediately to complete processing in safety.
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The council wants flexible measures – such as temporary resident permits – for Syrians with relatives in Canada.
It notes the boys had an aunt in Canada and likely would have been able to get a Turkish exit permit if they were leaving to reunite with family.
The Conservative government has defended its approach to the Syrian refugee crisis, saying it balances humanitarian assistance with a military effort against radicals rampaging through Syria.
In past refugee crises Canada responded quickly and decisively, the council said. “In 1999 Canada took extraordinary measures to evacuate thousands of Kosovar refugees. The same level of commitment is needed now.”
The council urged an immediate commitment to a minimum of 10,000 government-assisted resettlement places for Syrians, in addition to Canada’s regular resettlement numbers.
Current Canadian promises to take in Syrian refugees are made within existing commitments, so the numbers simply displace other refugees, the council said.
It also wants elimination of barriers to the private sponsorship of refugees, including restoration of full interim federal health coverage and lifting of document requirements for groups who offer to sponsor refugees.
“These small boys could be alive today, if Canada had responded more appropriately to the Syrian refugee crisis,” said Loly Rico, the council’s president.
“We shouldn’t need to wait for a tragedy like this to realize we must open our doors. We don’t want to see any more children die in this way.”
– With files from the Canadian Press.
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CORRECTION: An earlier version contained incorrect spellings of the first names of Alan and Galib Kurdi which were provided by the Turkish government.
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