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| Harper under pressure to alleviate Syrian refugee crisis as election looms | Harper under pressure to alleviate Syrian refugee crisis as election looms |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper, is facing criticism that his government has failed to do enough to help Syrian refugees after reports that Canada rejected a refugee bid from the family of the Syrian boy whose body washed ashore in Turkey this week. | Canada’s prime minister, Stephen Harper, is facing criticism that his government has failed to do enough to help Syrian refugees after reports that Canada rejected a refugee bid from the family of the Syrian boy whose body washed ashore in Turkey this week. |
| Related: Shocking images of drowned Syrian boy show tragic plight of refugees | Related: Shocking images of drowned Syrian boy show tragic plight of refugees |
| Aylan Kurdi, three, his older brother Galip, five, and their mother died while trying to reach Europe after their application to resettled to Canada was rejected, family members told the media. | Aylan Kurdi, three, his older brother Galip, five, and their mother died while trying to reach Europe after their application to resettled to Canada was rejected, family members told the media. |
| Shocking images of Aylan’s body lying face down in the surf not far from Turkey’s fashionable resort town of Bodrum captured the world’s attention and quickly became a major issue in Canada’s federal election campaign. | Shocking images of Aylan’s body lying face down in the surf not far from Turkey’s fashionable resort town of Bodrum captured the world’s attention and quickly became a major issue in Canada’s federal election campaign. |
| On Thursday, the Canadian immigration minister, Chris Alexander, announced he was suspending his own re-election campaign and returning to Ottawa to look into the family’s case. | On Thursday, the Canadian immigration minister, Chris Alexander, announced he was suspending his own re-election campaign and returning to Ottawa to look into the family’s case. |
| In a statement, he said the tragic photos of Aylan Kurdi “broke hearts around the world”. | In a statement, he said the tragic photos of Aylan Kurdi “broke hearts around the world”. |
| “Like all Canadians I was deeply saddened by that image and of many other images of the plight of the Syrian and Iraqi migrants fleeing persecution at the hands of Isis.” | “Like all Canadians I was deeply saddened by that image and of many other images of the plight of the Syrian and Iraqi migrants fleeing persecution at the hands of Isis.” |
| He went on to note that Canada resettles more than one in 10 refugees worldwide. | He went on to note that Canada resettles more than one in 10 refugees worldwide. |
| Just hours after pictures of Kurdi emerged on Wednesday, Harper promised that if re-elected, his government would do more to help those fleeing violence in Syria. | Just hours after pictures of Kurdi emerged on Wednesday, Harper promised that if re-elected, his government would do more to help those fleeing violence in Syria. |
| He also highlighted Canada’s involvement in the US-led mission against Isis in Iraq and Syria, which neither the New Democrats nor the Liberals support. | He also highlighted Canada’s involvement in the US-led mission against Isis in Iraq and Syria, which neither the New Democrats nor the Liberals support. |
| But opposition leaders say the Conservative government needs to do more to alleviate one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. | But opposition leaders say the Conservative government needs to do more to alleviate one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. |
| At a campaign stop on Thursday, the Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau, had harsh words for Alexander. “You don’t get to suddenly discover compassion in the middle of an election campaign,” he said. | At a campaign stop on Thursday, the Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau, had harsh words for Alexander. “You don’t get to suddenly discover compassion in the middle of an election campaign,” he said. |
| Trudeau reiterated his call for Canada to grant asylum to 25,000 Syrian refugees in the coming months. | Trudeau reiterated his call for Canada to grant asylum to 25,000 Syrian refugees in the coming months. |
| Related: Father of drowned boy Aylan Kurdi plans to return to Syria | Related: Father of drowned boy Aylan Kurdi plans to return to Syria |
| Asked about the Kurdi family at a campaign event on Thursday morning in Toronto, the New Democrat leader, Tom Mulcair, said Alexander “has questions to answer” and said the government should expedite their current commitment to grant asylum to 10,000 Syrian refugees. | Asked about the Kurdi family at a campaign event on Thursday morning in Toronto, the New Democrat leader, Tom Mulcair, said Alexander “has questions to answer” and said the government should expedite their current commitment to grant asylum to 10,000 Syrian refugees. |
| “We can absolutely absorb that right away,” he said. “Enough is enough. We can’t continue to see images like these.” | “We can absolutely absorb that right away,” he said. “Enough is enough. We can’t continue to see images like these.” |
| New Democrat MP Fin Donnelly told Canadian media that he had sent a letter regarding the Kurdi family’s case to Alexander on behalf of Aylan’s aunt, Teema Kurdi. | New Democrat MP Fin Donnelly told Canadian media that he had sent a letter regarding the Kurdi family’s case to Alexander on behalf of Aylan’s aunt, Teema Kurdi. |
| Teema Kurdi, who came to Canada 20 years ago and lives in Donnelly’s electoral district, or riding, told the National Post newspaper she had tried to bring in the family through Canada’s private sponsorship program but the application had been rejected in June. | Teema Kurdi, who came to Canada 20 years ago and lives in Donnelly’s electoral district, or riding, told the National Post newspaper she had tried to bring in the family through Canada’s private sponsorship program but the application had been rejected in June. |
| The family, like many other Syrian Kurdish refugees, were not granted exit visas by Turkey and they had not been given UN refugee status, she said. | The family, like many other Syrian Kurdish refugees, were not granted exit visas by Turkey and they had not been given UN refugee status, she said. |
| The Canadian Council for Refugees, a nonprofit group that lobbies for refugee rights, said Canada could make it easier for families like the Kurdis to be reunited by implementing flexible measures like temporary residency permits. | The Canadian Council for Refugees, a nonprofit group that lobbies for refugee rights, said Canada could make it easier for families like the Kurdis to be reunited by implementing flexible measures like temporary residency permits. |
| “These small boys could be alive today, if Canada had responded more appropriately to the Syrian refugee crisis,” said the council’s president, Loly Rico, in a statement. | “These small boys could be alive today, if Canada had responded more appropriately to the Syrian refugee crisis,” said the council’s president, Loly Rico, in a statement. |
| It is the second day that Alexander has made headlines over Canada’s response to the refugee crisis. | |
| In a testy exchange on a political news show on Wednesday, Alexander accused the media of largely ignoring the longstanding crisis after facing questions over his government’s reliance on its refugee sponsorship program, which allows designated organisations or citizens to directly sponsor individuals claiming asylum. | |
| It was the program under which the Kurdi family had apparently attempted to gain asylum to Canada. | |
| The Conservative government has committed to resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2017. | The Conservative government has committed to resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2017. |
| That is in addition to a 2013 commitment to grant asylum to 1,300 Syrian refugees, a figure that was met in March. | That is in addition to a 2013 commitment to grant asylum to 1,300 Syrian refugees, a figure that was met in March. |
| Canadian go to the polls 19 October. | Canadian go to the polls 19 October. |