The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan Minister of National Defence, The Honourable John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health and Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Refugees, concluded a very successful visit to Jordan.
The Ministers made this trip to experience first-hand the situation on the ground, as the Government of Canada implements its commitment to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada.
To provide a sense of the daily lives of refugees, Ministers visited Za’atari refugee camp, located outside of Amman, Jordan, which is home to approximately 80,000 refugees. The Ministers toured the camp and had the opportunity to speak with a number of Syrian refugees who have been displaced for many months and in some cases years.
The Ministers attended the opening of the new Syrian refugee processing centre in Amman. Here, they met with both refugees and Canadian officials responsible for processing refugees, and reviewed the interview and screening process.
Discussing the pressures faced by Jordan in hosting so many refugees, Ministers met today with King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and Prime Minister Dr. Abdullah Ensour. They committed to working collaboratively to address the humanitarian crisis facing Syrian refugees as a result of the ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq.
“I want to thank the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which has shown great leadership in helping millions of Syrians who have been displaced due to conflict in their home country. Canada recognizes that helping people in need is a shared responsibility, which is why we are working with our partners to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees safely to Canada as soon as possible.” said Minister Sajjan.
The Government of Canada is working with the governments of Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey on this complex initiative. These countries have been home to hundreds of thousands of refugees since the conflict in Syria began.
Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan also visited Kuwait the following day where he met with Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel currently deployed in the region as part of Canada’s contribution to the multinational Coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Minister Sajjan used the occasion to pay tribute to the troops, thanking them for their dedication and service.
While in Kuwait, Minister Sajjan also met with his counterpart, His Excellency, Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, and other senior officials. During their discussions, the Minister underscored Canada’s ongoing commitment to working with allies and partners to counter global terrorism, and expressed his appreciation to Kuwait for hosting Canadian Armed Forces personnel engaged in the campaign. This support is vital to the mission.
“It is an honour and privilege to represent Canada on the world stage and to have an opportunity to meet with coalition counterparts and members of the Canadian Armed Forces. I want to express my deep appreciation and heartfelt gratitude to Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen and airwomen for their hard work, professionalism and dedication.” said Minister Sajjan.
