Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader. Senator Gold, yesterday I asked you about four-year-old Amira, the little girl stuck in an orphanage in Syria. I asked about what steps your government is taking to reunite her with her only family here in Canada.

Senator Gold, you spoke about the difficulty of providing consular services inside Syria. While I can appreciate that our consular office in Damascus is closed, the office in Beirut is open for business.

If Amira’s uncle was able to travel from Canada to Syria and make it inside the orphanage to see his niece, what is proving so difficult for Canadian consular officials to do the same? We know Global Affairs has confirmed Amira’s identity and they have signalled that she is entitled to citizenship, so what is the problem? What is taking so long for Global Affairs Canada to get this little girl, who I assume is probably very terrified, back with her friends, loved ones and family in Canada?

Government leader, our consulate is open in Beirut. It should probably be even easier for them to get over there and give assistance to this little girl, if her uncle was able to get there.

Just over one year ago, we saw a smiling Chrystia Freeland, then Global Affairs minister, as she welcomed Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun to Canada at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. The plight of the Saudi teenager, who was fleeing her family, had taken over social media, and within days she was granted permanent residency here in Canada. At that time the minister said:

. . . where we can save a single person . . . that is a good thing to do.

I think the government should really look into this particular case. The media has been trying to draw attention to it. This little girl, I think, deserves our assistance, and I think there is no excuse for Global Affairs, but they have to act, and act soon. I would rely on you, government leader, to get back to this chamber with a timeline of what Global Affairs Canada is going to do in this particular case.