OTTAWA - Canada is condemning the latest assault on anti-government protesters in Syria that has killed scores of people.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement Sunday saying it's "utterly indefensible" to use military force to suppress the Syrian people's calls for democratic reform.
Syrian security forces backed by tanks and snipers launched a ferocious attack on defiant cities and towns Sunday.
Corpses littered the streets and the precise death toll is impossible to verify.
Estimates from witnesses and protest groups range from around 75 people to nearly 140.
Harper says Syrian President Bashar Assad must either allow democratic reform or step aside.
The brutal crackdown came on the eve of Ramadan, which begins Monday.
Daily demonstrations are expected to surge during the holy month and observers speculate the Syrian government's crackdown is an attempt to frighten people from taking to the streets.
