Syrian, Iraqi refugee crisis demands more than just words

Re: Family of boys found on beach were trying to come to Canada; and Tiny body in sand brings refugee crisis into focus, Sept. 3.

Canada sees itself as a compassionate nation but its response to the refugee crisis says something quite different. There are an estimated 670,000 stateless people currently living in Europe with thousands more attempting to join their numbers every day. In Turkey alone there are an estimated 500,000 asylum seekers. People trying to escape the violence in Syria and Iraq. In Russia there are 168,000 people seeking refuge from the violence in Ukraine. These numbers speak volumes; not to mention the countless tragedies we hear and read about daily.

Germany, France, Sweden, Italy and the United Kingdom have responded by opening their doors to hundreds of thousands of refugees. Sweden, a country with a population of less than 10 million, has taken in more than 75,000 refugees in 2014. Canada on the other hand, is committed to resettling less than 14,000 worldwide per year.

If indeed the world is experiencing a refuges crisis then Canada can surely do more than it currently does. Humanitarian assistance is all well and fine but these stateless people, escaping violence and death need our help. They need a safe place to live. If Canada truly is a compassionate nation then it must do more. Canada can take many more refugees.

If it does not then it is contributing to the crisis and no amount of humanitarian aid will make any difference. Fighting ISIL in Iraq and Syria and training soldiers in Ukraine doesn’t resolve anything. Indeed, it creates more refugees. So compassionate Canada should be part of the solution too. François Lavigne, Ottawa