Federal gov't appears to be on verge of repatriating Canadian women and children held in Syria
Federal gov't appears to be on verge of repatriating Canadian women and children held in Syria
One little Canadian boy recently had his head bashed by stones thrown by Iraqi detainees housed in the same detention camp.
The Prime Minister of Canada seems to have undergone a change of heart, and it's causing flowers to bloom in the harsh desert of northeastern Syria.
Perhaps not so much a change of heart as a change of circumstances.
The Canadian government appears on the verge of bringing home some 40 Canadian women and children held under terrible conditions in a Syrian detention camp.
It is a significant change of policy, not necessarily based on compassion, for Canadian citizens who have spent the last few years living in wretched outdoor conditions, subject to the violence of nature and other inmates.
One little Canadian boy recently had his head bashed by stones thrown by Iraqi detainees housed in the same awful camp. A nurse stitched up his scalp and sent him back to his mother and their home: a tent plunked down in the desert, surrounded by armed Kurdish guards and high fencing.
The Canadians are among thousands of foreign nationals detained after the war with Islamic State, reduced to prisoner status by virtue of their marriages to foreign fighters. Most will tell you they had no idea what they were getting into, and were never involved in violence.
Human rights campaigners describe their children as innocent victims, made to suffer for the actions of others, and denied a normal childhood. Blame the mothers and fathers, say advocates, but don't use that as a reason to destroy young lives.
A lawsuit filed by Ottawa lawyer Lawrence Greenspon seems to have inspired, or forced, the Trudeau government into the kind of action other countries have already undertaken. France, Australia, and Germany have all brought their women and children home, and the list goes on.
Canada, with only a couple of exceptions, firmly refused to do the same. The threat of losing in court, based on a complaint under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, appears to have pushed the prime minister to blink.
Greenspon’s lawsuit involves six women, 13 children and four men. The government has expanded its review to include several other families, but refers only to women and children held in Roj camp.
In the last couple of weeks, almost all of the women held in Roj camp have been told they and their children now meet a set of guidelines for possible repatriation. Until recently, few people knew such guidelines even existed.
It does not mean they will be put on a plane next week, but that is almost certainly the direction this is going. Deteriorating conditions in the camp prompted a review of their cases, said the government.
In recent days, the children have been relaying voice messages and drawings to Greenspon, who took on their plight pro bono.
"Hello, this is Isabella," said one little girl. "We drew a picture of flowers to thank you for helping me and my mummy, my brother and sister. There's no flowers in the camp, but I hope we see some soon."
Global Affairs Canada has informed the women that "threats to your children's safety" and "dangerous security conditions" led to a re-assessment of their situation. It also cited the risk of cholera outbreaks and poor access to food and clean water.
Dr. Alexandra Bain is both delighted and harshly realistic about the government's presumptive reversal. She's the founder of a group called Families Against Violent Extremism and has campaigned relentlessly for such a moment.
"This means Canada may finally be stepping up to meet its legal and moral obligations," she told me. "In terms of their rights of citizenship, their basic human rights, and their rights as children."
The government insists it has no legal obligation to assist Canadians outside the country, but may concede in this case after the bombardment of harsh criticism from human rights groups.
Bain said the families have been given no sense of when they might be taken out of the camp, or how it will happen. The United States has long offered to help Canada in any repatriation efforts.
"The women are hoping they leave tomorrow," she told me, "or at least be home for Christmas."
There has been no word from Global Affairs Canada on the 10 Canadian men also held by the Kurdish authorities — including Jack Letts, whose parents have waged a public campaign for his release.
He was infamously dubbed "Jihadi Jack" by the British media and holds both British and Canadian citizenship.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Dominic Barton, the former global managing director of McKinsey & Company, says he had no involvement in federal contracts awarded to the firm in recent years.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.
When the opera 'La Flambeau' premieres next week in Montreal, Black performers will be front and centre in an artistic medium where they have historically been under-represented.
Top European Union officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with Ukrainian officials as rescue crews dug through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine struck by a Russian missile, killing at least three people and wounding about 20 others.
In Washington progress on police brutality appears difficult, if not unlikely. Bipartisan efforts to reach an agreement on policing legislation stalled more than a year ago, and President Joe Biden ended up instead signing an executive order named for George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests nearly three years ago.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
On CTVNews.ca and YouTube: Health journalist Avis Favaro joins our Trend Line podcast, for an in-depth episode dedicated to the growing crises facing the Canadian health-care system.
Nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, community organizers say there is still work to be done to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new life in Canada while coping with the hardships they've faced coming here.
A suicide bomber who killed 101 people at a mosque in northwest Pakistan this week had disguised himself in a police uniform and did not raise suspicion among guards, the provincial police chief said on Thursday.
Israel struck targets in the Gaza Strip early Thursday hours after Palestinian militants fired a rocket at Israel, the military said, the latest in an uptick of violence in the region.
Top European Union officials arrived in Kyiv on Thursday for talks with Ukrainian officials as rescue crews dug through the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine struck by a Russian missile, killing at least three people and wounding about 20 others.
Israeli aircraft carried out several raids at a militant site in the Gaza Strip early Thursday, the Israeli military said, hours after Palestinian militants fired a rocket into Israel's south, raising already heightened tensions under the country's new ultranationalist government.
North Korea on Thursday threatened the 'toughest reaction' to the United States' expanding joint military exercises with South Korea to counter the North's growing nuclear weapons ambitions, claiming that the allies were pushing tensions to an 'extreme red line.'
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Dominic Barton, the former global managing director of McKinsey & Company, says he had no involvement in federal contracts awarded to the firm in recent years.
On CTVNews.ca and YouTube: Health journalist Avis Favaro joins our Trend Line podcast, for an in-depth episode dedicated to the growing crises facing the Canadian health-care system.
Lawmakers in Finland approved amendments Wednesday that will make it substantially easier for people to change their legally recognized gender in the Nordic country.
New guidelines on long-term care services by the Health Standards Organization say residents should receive at least four hours of direct care each day. If you or a loved one are living in long-term care, we want to hear from you.
After a tiny radioactive capsule went missing in the Australian outback, an expert in Canada says the likelihood of the same happening in this country is unlikely, given our strong regulations governing the handling of radioactive materials.
Chinese scientists have successfully cloned three 'super cows' that can produce an unusually high amount of milk, state media reported, hailing it as a breakthrough for China's dairy industry to reduce its dependence on imported breeds.
An archeological team from Saint Mary's University will travel to France this summer to use ground-penetrating radar and other technology to assist a United States defence agency recover and identify military personnel missing since the Second World War.
When the opera 'La Flambeau' premieres next week in Montreal, Black performers will be front and centre in an artistic medium where they have historically been under-represented.
Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Iron Maiden, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, Sheryl Crow and the late George Michael are the 2023 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, reflecting a mix of country, soul, hip-hop, metal, pop, rap-rock and grunge.
Global energy giant Shell said Thursday that its annual profits doubled to a record high last year as oil and natural gas prices soared after Russia invaded Ukraine. London-based Shell Plc posted adjusted earnings of $39.9 billion for 2022 in its financial results for the final three months of the year.
Türkiye on Thursday slammed a group of Western countries which temporarily closed down their consulates in Istanbul over security concerns, accusing them of waging 'psychological warfare"' and attempting to wreck Türkiye's tourism.
As Black History Month gets underway, Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp honouring Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was known to challenge her enslavement in the late 18th century.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
John Herdman is staying put. After a morning of speculation fuelled by a New Zealand report that the Canada men's soccer coach had agreed to take over the 105th-ranked All Whites, Herdman and Canada Soccer put out the fire with a statement Wednesday.
Brittney Griner's return to the WNBA this summer after being traded in a dramatic prisoner swap in December with Russia has collided with free agency, creating potential travel complications for the league out of safety concerns for her.
A good winter tire will always outperform an all-season tire in snowy, icy driving conditions and be the safer alternative. Edmunds' experts explain the importance of winter tires and offer advice on when to use them and how much you should pay.
The U.S. Justice Department has requested documents from Tesla related to its Autopilot and 'Full Self-Driving' features, according to a regulatory filing.
Europe is taking another big step toward cutting its energy ties with Russia, banning imports of diesel fuel and other products made from crude oil in Russian refineries. The European Union ban takes effect Feb. 5 following its embargo on coal and most oil from Russia.
One little Canadian boy recently had his head bashed by stones thrown by Iraqi detainees housed in the same detention camp.
