SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — The People of Sweida, Syria

Honourable senators, I wish to bring to your attention the plight of the people of Sweida province of southern Syria. The people of Sweida are peace-loving and have lived in this region for centuries.

Today this community of people endure enormous suffering. Predominantly Druze, they are known for their deep connection to the land, their agrarian traditions and their long-standing reputation as a peaceful and self-reliant people. For generations, they’ve cultivated their farms, preserved their cultural heritage and raised their families in the quiet hills and plains of the Jabal al-Arab region.

Yet in recent years, this community has faced profound hardship and severe violations of human rights. Numerous reports, videos and testimonies show a pattern of abuses committed against civilians in Sweida by Syrian government forces and affiliated actors. These accounts speak of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, the destruction of family homes and cultural spaces and sexual violence against women — heinous acts that leave families shattered and entire communities traumatized. Regardless of politics or borders, such suffering demands the world’s attention, compassion and action.

The people of Sweida have tried again and again to assert their dignity and seek peaceful solutions. Their demonstrations and local efforts have consistently emphasized non-violence and the protection of their community. Yet instead of dialogue, their efforts have been met with aggression. As economic collapse deepened across Syria, Sweida’s families — comprised of farmers, teachers, shopkeepers and elders — found themselves simultaneously battling insecurity, threats and violence.

On November 13, 2025, just three weeks ago, in a hearing conducted by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom under the topic “Religious Freedom in Syria’s Post-Assad Transition,” the commission heard from witnesses who confirmed specific threats, including sectarian massacres of Druze and Alawite Muslims and attacks on Christians and other religious minorities, as well as an escalation of killings, kidnappings and forced disappearances — all under the rule of the new transitional authorities.

In this darkness, one reality stands out: the near-total absence of meaningful international protection. Among regional actors, Israel has been the only country that has provided humanitarian support, protection and safe passage to individuals and communities facing existential threat. Regardless of one’s political perspective, the simple human truth is that when a vulnerable population is in danger, any act of protection matters.

Today, I ask you not to view the people of Sweida through the lens of geopolitics but through the lens of shared humanity. Their struggle is not an abstract conflict but the basic experience of a people who want nothing more than safety, dignity and the ability to live in peace.

In speaking of this today in the Senate of Canada, I call on all who can to raise their voices for people of Sweida. There must be accountability from all who perpetrate abuses. Above all, we must affirm that no community — least of all, one so committed to peace — should ever stand alone in its hour of need.

Thank you, colleagues.