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House Hansard - 158

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 10, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 158 - Feb/10/23
Mr. Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard, CPC)
  • Feb/10/23 11:09:32 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as I speak, Turks, Kurds, Syrians and many others are living the tragedy of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. As of now, reports estimate the death toll at over 22,000 people, and unfortunately the number of lives lost is expected to increase. However, there is more we can do to help, both as a government and as a people, starting with urging Turkey’s government to end the discrimination against Kurdish earthquake victims. According to Kurdish journalists and victims of the earthquake, Kurdish cities, including Elbistan and Pazarcik, are not receiving aid or emergency rescue services from Turkish organizations. YIMER 157, the government foreign communications network in Turkey, translates in seven languages the emergency information needed to save people, but bizarrely not in Kurdish, the second most spoken language in the country. Relief organizations like Heyva Sor, the Kurdish Red Crescent and the White Helmets in Syria are wonderful options for Canadians. The need is great, and the tens of thousands of displaced and injured people need our support.
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