Jagmeet singh calls for help for Ukraine in letter to Prime Minister

Today, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh sent the Prime Minister the following letter:

Dear Prime Minister,

Canadians and people around the world are watching the invasion of Ukraine by Putin’s Russia in horror. People are worried about the safety of people in Ukraine, the state of the world and the impacts on their families here at home.

I spoke to many Ukrainian Canadians who are worried about their family and community members in Ukraine desperately trying to seek refuge from the war. Canada has an important role to play to help resettle those who are and will be seeking refuge. We must do everything possible to help people seeking safety from the threat of violence in Ukraine. And we must move much faster.

As we have done in the past, the government should put forward a plan, working with provinces, territories and municipal governments, to take and help settle refugees. The Minister of Immigration,Refugees and Citizenship should convene a meeting with his counterparts quickly so we can start resettling people in Canada.

There have been disturbing reports of discrimination faced by ethnic minorities when trying to cross the border seeking refuge from Putin’s war. Our team has heard a devastating story from an Afghan woman who resettled in Ukraine because of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Because of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, she’s seeking refuge for her family again and had to walk hours to different borders in Ukraine less than 48 hours after giving birth, just to be rejected six times facing racial discrimination.

New Democrats are asking your government to provide support to ethnic minorities seeking refuge in Ukraine and ensure they have equal access to reach and cross borders, including Indian and African students, and members of the LGTBQ2s+ communities, who have faced discrimination in their attempts to find safety.

We’re also asking your government to offer expedited access to Canada to these refugees who are especially vulnerable due to systemic discrimination. You should make it clear that Canada wants and welcomes racialized and LGBTQ2s+ refugees and stands ready to accept and settle them in Canada without delay.

In light of the escalating crisis, we must recognize that people in Ukraine who are seeking refuge from the dangers of the war do not have months to spare. The most urgent action is required. New Democrats stand ready to help you resettle people in Canada in any way possible.

Sincerely,

Jagmeet Singh

MP Burnaby South

Leader, New Democratic Party of Canada