NO MORE DROWNINGS! We the undersigned call upon you to offer immediate sanctuary to refugees from Syria fleeing violence. Nobody wants to witness another incident where innocent refugee children drown trying to reach Europe. It is utterly heartbreaking and unnecessary! 

Instead of grieving over images of the aftermath of young children and babies drowning in the Mediterranean and being washed ashore, we appeal to you to see to it that refugee statuses be expedited and safe passages provided. We believe this can be achieved with political will.

This is not only for the Kurdi family, but also for the children who drowned over a week ago and washed up on Libyan shores - and the 1000s more children and their families who have lost their lives since this conflict started.

These people deserve our humanity and there is an inescapable moral duty on the part of Canada to act IMMEDIATELY. Europe may be far away, but we must act as global citizens and play our part.

The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel has agreed to accept 800,000 refugees this year alone. Canada has agreed to take 13,000 refugees by the end of 2017 but has so far accepted c. 1200! This is not a good enough response to the biggest refugee crisis the world has seen since WWII. Time is not a luxury we can afford right now. Swift action is required.

Canada is renowned for its outstanding immigration record. So, demonstrate Canada's global standing on immigration by pro-actively putting in place the mechanisms and resources necessary to expedite refugee statuses and get these refugee children and their families to a safe place, where they have a chance to re-build their lives again.

We know the politicking on the ground is complex and we know it won't be easy, especially for you. However, we also know that children and their families should not spend years in refugee or makeshift camps, in many cases exhausting processes that do not serve them - in some cases because of their ethnicity or location. The children that still live have suffered enough loss and trauma. They desperately need your voice.

All children deserve a chance at a future free from persecution. You have the power to offer that. You have the power to ensure that more children and their families get a chance to live in a manner we have the privilege to take for granted.

We look to you now to act.

Respectfully.