QUESTION PERIOD — Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Assistance for Refugee Children
March 10, 2020
Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader.
Senator Gold, last year CTV News reported on a 4-year-old little girl who was stuck in a refugee camp in Syria after both her parents were killed fighting for ISIS. Both of her parents were Canadian and this little girl, Amira, has family in Canada who have been trying to bring her home. Sadly, that has yet to happen and the family is receiving little to no help from Global Affairs Canada.
A couple of weeks ago I saw CTV’s Paul Workman report that Amira has been moved to an orphanage, and her uncle, who had travelled without any assistance from Global Affairs, was finally able to see the little girl and bring her gifts from home. However, he was forced to leave Amira in the orphanage.
Why isn’t your government doing everything in its power to bring this 4-year-old girl home to Canada to be with her only family?
Thank you for your question. It’s a heartbreaking situation. The government is aware of these reports and that the child is in a Kurdish-run camp in northeastern Syria. I have been advised that the government is actively engaged in this case, with local authorities providing consular assistance to the extent possible.
It is not an easy security situation on the ground, as senators well know, and the Government of Canada lacks a physical presence in Syria for reasons that are obvious. The Government of Canada is in regular contact with the family of the child’s deceased parents and is working with them on this very complex and sensitive situation, driven, of course, by the best interests of the child.
Due to the situation in northeastern Syria and the need to respect the privacy of the child and to protect her safety and security, I’m not prepared to provide further information at this point on this case.
