For many Canadians, the war in Syria is a distant conflict raging away halfway around the world. For Syrians, what began as a peaceful protest against President Bashar al-Assad in the spring of 2011 has quickly spiralled into a brutal civil war that has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people and sparked a massive humanitarian crisis.

Now, two Canadian journalists are hoping to bring the devastation of the Syrian conflict right to Canadians.

Shannon Gormley and Drew Gough, freelance journalists who spent three years covering the conflict in the region, have launched an online campaign -- “If We Were Syrian” -- to illustrate the scale of Syria’s devastation in terms that all Canadians can understand.

They note that if the Syrian conflict was taking place in Canada right now, 4.8 million children would be forced to leave their homes – that is 85 per cent of all Canadian children aged 0-14.

Other shocking statistics include:

  • If Canada were Syria, the entire population of Sudbury, Ont., would have been wiped out. That’s 160,000 people killed in just over 3 years.
  • If Canada were Syria, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and all of the Maritime Provinces would be deserted. That’s close to 9.3 million people forced to flee their homes to escape a constant barrage of rocket attacks and military shellings.

Gormley says it’s important for Canadians to understand the true devastation of the Syrian crisis in unadulterated terms.

"I hope it brings the crisis closer to their doorsteps because, like it or not, this crisis is coming closer to the doorstep of many G7 nations," she told CTV News.

The website challenges citizens living in various G7 countries, including the United States, France and Japan, to step into the shoes of Syrians and realize the impact of the war.

The campaign notes that if the Syrian conflict was taking place in the U.S., the entire population of Syracuse, N.Y. would be wiped out.

If Japan was thrust into a similar war, every single person living in Tokyo would be forced to abandon their homes.

“It’s not easy to empathize with people you are systematically taught are different than you,” Gormley said. “But we have to because this is no longer a Syrian issue, it is no longer a Middle Eastern issue, it is a global issue.”

The website also points the finger at G7 nations for their lack of financial assistance, noting that only 27 per cent of funding that the United Nations has requested has been donated.

Gormley and Gough hope their campaign will inspire Canadians to share their message, reach out to their local representatives and help do more for the people of Syria.

With a report from CTV’s Richard Madan