Palestinian Canadians are amplifying their pleas for the Canadian government to take decisive action to facilitate the safe exit of their loved ones from Gaza, which has been severely impacted by ongoing military actions. They assert that a temporary visa program introduced earlier this year has proven inadequate in addressing their urgent humanitarian needs.
Omar Omar, a spokesperson for Gazan Families, a group advocating for those affected by the conflict, expressed his frustrations at a news conference held in Ottawa. Omar described the anguish of trying to secure passage for his family, who have been caught in the conflict for over a year. He highlighted the need for equitable and compassionate treatment for all families, emphasizing that the well-being of those in Gaza deserves the same sense of urgency that the Canadian government demonstrated in other cases.
“This long fight has drained our resources and emotional strength,” Omar said. “We have lost so much back in Gaza, and our efforts to rebuild our lives in Canada have been marred by this struggle.”
The Canadian government had rolled out a special visa initiative earlier in the year, intended to allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to bring relatives from Gaza to safety. However, advocates and immigration lawyers have raised significant concerns about the complexity of the application process. They report that the requirements were excessively intrusive, exceeding typical standards with requests for intricate personal histories and medical information. Critics also highlighted a striking disparity between the treatment of Palestinians and other refugee groups, such as Ukrainians, who received prompt and broad support during their crisis.
While Canada granted over 960,000 visas to Ukrainians fleeing conflict, the Gaza visa program has a cap of just 5,000 visas. As of October, only a small fraction of applications had been successful, with recent estimates indicating that only 334 Palestinians had actually made it to Canada.
The Canadian government, while acknowledging the challenges posed by the geopolitical situation, states that it does not have the authority to facilitate exits from Gaza, which is tightly controlled by Israel and Egypt. A representative from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada indicated that ongoing military operations have made movement out of Gaza virtually impossible, underscoring the urgency of advocating for improved conditions.
However, human rights advocates contend that Canada should apply greater diplomatic pressure on Israel to allow those eligible under the visa program to leave Gaza. They argue that the government must take stronger steps to fulfill its humanitarian obligations.
David Matsinhe of Amnesty International Canada emphasized that the successful facilitation of Ukrainian refugees illustrates the potential for rapid governmental action during humanitarian crises. He has called for the removal of caps on applications and more vigorous advocacy directed at Israel and Egypt to ensure that Palestinians can safely exit.
As the situation continues to evolve and more voices join the call for action, many hope for a resolution that allows compassion and support to guide Canadian foreign policy responses in this ongoing crisis.
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