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| Aylan Kurdi: Canadian immigration minister suspends election campaign to investigate why Syrian family's refugee application was refused | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Canada’s immigration minister has suspended his re-election campaign to investigate why a refugee application was rejected for Aylan Kurdi’s family. | |
| Chris Alexander was travelling to Ottawa today as anger mounted over how the three-year-old and his family were allegedly driven to attempt their fatal voyage to Greece by the refusal. | |
| Relatives said the Canadian immigration department rejected their application in June, forcing them to leave Turkey on a smugglers’ boat that sank, drowning three-year-old Aylan with his mother, brother and at least nine other refugees. A photo of Aylan Kurdi lying drowned on a Turkish beach has ignited anger at the UK's response to the refugee crisis | |
| “Like all Canadians, I was deeply saddened by that image and of the many other images of the plight of the Syrian and Iraqi migrants fleeing persecution at the hands of Isis,” Mr Alexander said. | |
| A spokesperson said the minster’s priority “is to ascertain the facts of the case.” | |
| Mr Alexander claimed that Canada has one of the most generous per capita immigration and refugee resettlement programmes in the world, saying the government was planning to accept 23,000 Iraqis refugees and 11,300 Syrians. | |
| A photo of Aylan Kurdi lying face-down in the sand has ignited outrage over the continuing humanitarian crisis, sparking calls for the Government to take in more refugees. | A photo of Aylan Kurdi lying face-down in the sand has ignited outrage over the continuing humanitarian crisis, sparking calls for the Government to take in more refugees. |
| The child died alongside his five-year-old brother, Galip, their mother, Rihan, and at least nine other refugees when their boat overturned during the desperate voyage from Turkey to the Greek island of Kos. | |
| The boys' father, Abdullah, survived. | The boys' father, Abdullah, survived. |
| Relatives in Canada said the family were the subject of a “G5” privately sponsored refugee application that was rejected by the country’s Citizenship and Immigration service in June. | Relatives in Canada said the family were the subject of a “G5” privately sponsored refugee application that was rejected by the country’s Citizenship and Immigration service in June. |
| The children’s aunt, Teema Kurdi, told the Ottawa Citizen that after they fled from the war-torn border town of Kobani, which was overrun by Isis last year, the UN would not register them as refugees and the Turkish government would not grant exit visas. | The children’s aunt, Teema Kurdi, told the Ottawa Citizen that after they fled from the war-torn border town of Kobani, which was overrun by Isis last year, the UN would not register them as refugees and the Turkish government would not grant exit visas. |
| “I was trying to sponsor them, and I have my friends and my neighbours who helped me with the bank deposits, but we couldn't get them out,” she told the newspaper. | “I was trying to sponsor them, and I have my friends and my neighbours who helped me with the bank deposits, but we couldn't get them out,” she told the newspaper. |
| “That is why they went in the boat.” Clothes litter a beach in Bodrum, Turkey, where 11 refugees drowned on Wednesday | “That is why they went in the boat.” Clothes litter a beach in Bodrum, Turkey, where 11 refugees drowned on Wednesday |
| G5 applications allow at least five Canadian citizens to sponsor refugees to move to the country on the condition that they give them emotional and financial support. | G5 applications allow at least five Canadian citizens to sponsor refugees to move to the country on the condition that they give them emotional and financial support. |
| But only applicants who are formally recognised as refugees by the UN or a foreign state can be accepted. | But only applicants who are formally recognised as refugees by the UN or a foreign state can be accepted. |
| Fin Donnelly, a Canadian MP, told the CBC network he personally delivered to Mr Alexander a letter from the boy’s aunt regarding the application. | |
| The Citizenship and Immigration service has not yet responded to The Independent’s request for a comment. | The Citizenship and Immigration service has not yet responded to The Independent’s request for a comment. |
| Despite the deaths of more than 2,000 refugees crossing the Mediterranean this year, several European countries including the UK have refused to accept proposed quotas of asylum seekers. | Despite the deaths of more than 2,000 refugees crossing the Mediterranean this year, several European countries including the UK have refused to accept proposed quotas of asylum seekers. |
| Pressure is mounting on David Cameron to change his stance after he claimed that “taking more and more refugees” is not the answer to the crisis. | Pressure is mounting on David Cameron to change his stance after he claimed that “taking more and more refugees” is not the answer to the crisis. |
| More than 20,000 people have signed a petition started by this newspaper for Britain to accept its fair share of refugees seeking safety in Europe. | More than 20,000 people have signed a petition started by this newspaper for Britain to accept its fair share of refugees seeking safety in Europe. |
| Click here to sign The Independent's petition | Click here to sign The Independent's petition |