OTTAWA 鈥� Europe鈥檚 migrant and refugee crisis washed over the Canadian federal election trail Thursday, sweeping the immigration minister from the hustings to deal with sa国际传媒鈥檚 response to the case of a Syrian family who drowned while trying to get to Europe.
Chris Alexander said he was returning to Ottawa from his Toronto-area riding as he was dealing with fallout from the image of the dead body of a young Kurdish boy washed up on a Turkish beach.
The minister had to confront reports that sa国际传媒 rejected the refugee application of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, his five-year-old brother Galip and their mother Rehan 鈥� all of whom died after their unsuccessful attempt to reach Europe by boat.
Fin Donnelly, who is running for re-election in Port Moody-Coquitlam for the New Democrats, said he delivered a letter in March to Alexander on behalf of Abdullah鈥檚 sister Teema Kurdi, who lives in the Vancouver area. But Donnelly said the sponsorship request was not approved.
The images Aylan Kurdi鈥檚 lifeless body, and those of a Turkish police officer who plucked it from the surf, have now resonated across the globe.
鈥淭he tragic photo of young Aylan Kurdi and the news of the death of his brother and mother broke hearts around the world,鈥� Alexander said in a statement Thursday.
鈥淟ike all Canadians, I was deeply saddened by that image and of the many other images of the plight of the Syrian and Iraqi migrants fleeing persecution at the hands of ISIS.鈥�
Alexander said he would also get an update on the migrant crisis.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair Alexander said the images of Kurdi reminded him of the iconic Vietnam war photo of the naked, nine-year-old girl fleeing a napalm attack in 1972.
鈥淐hris Alexander has a lot to answer for, but that鈥檚 not where we are right now. We鈥檙e worried about how we got here,鈥� Mulcair said in Toronto.
鈥淭he international community has failed. sa国际传媒 has failed.鈥�
While campaigning in Brossard, Que., Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was asked about Alexander鈥檚 decision to get an update on the Kurdi family case.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get to suddenly discover compassion in the middle of an election campaign. You either have it or you don鈥檛,鈥� Trudeau said.
鈥淭his government has ignored these pleas of Canadian NGOs, of opposition parties and of the international community ... all believe that sa国际传媒 should be doing more, should have been doing more.鈥�
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10:03ET 03-09-15
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