(OTTAWA) - The Green Party of Canada is calling on Stephen Harper to utilize the Canadian Armed Forces to help bring Syrian refugees to Canada by the most efficient means possible, whether that is transport planes or ships.
“Using our Armed Forces in a humanitarian crisis of this proportion is justified when you consider that we do not hesitate in the case of natural disasters,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, (Saanich - Gulf Islands).
“In the past, we have opened our arms to bring 50 000 boat people, 37 000 Hungarians, and 11 000 Czechs to Canada. Canadian hearts are as big as this country. We are ready to step up again,” said Elizabeth May.
The Green Party of Canada also supports the Canadian Council for Refugees and Amnesty International Canada, who called Thursday for Syrians with family in Canada to be allowed entry immediately to complete their processing in safety.
“We ask for special measures, like temporary resident permits, so refugee cases are treated with the urgency they deserve,” said May.
“We also need to overhaul the Harper-created laws around treatment of refugees - this is entirely possible while maintaining high security in screening; we must find the political will to make this happen.”
“With the scale of the crisis, Canada should be ramping up the number of Syrian refugees to 40 000 over the next 5 years. It's clear that we must do more to end the conflict, including living up to our commitments to the UN High Commission for Refugees,” concluded May.
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For additional information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Julian Morelli
Director of Communications
Green Party of Canada
cell: (613) 614 4916
office: (613) 562 4916 (224)
julian.morelli@greenparty.ca
Or
Kirsten Strom
Executive Assistant to Director of Communications
t: 613.562.4916 (200)
Toll Free 1.866.868.3447
kirsten.strom@greenparty.ca