We, the undersigned, demand that the government of Canada commit diplomatic and physical resources to support the people of Iraq against the atrocities being committed by the extremist group ISIS.

We urge the government of Canada to initiate the following means of support:

• Diplomatic pressure: utilize diplomatic channels to isolate ISIS and their funding support. Ensure that the UN recognizes these acts as war crimes.
• Humanitarian aid: commit significant resources to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
• Support for refugees: fast-track refugee claims and place pressure on other countries to do likewise.
• Support for intervention: offer Canadian support in efforts to protect these vulnerable communities. Call for an internationally led UN peacekeeping mission in the area.

Due to the violence in northern Iraq, over 1 million people have become internally displaced this year. Large numbers of Christians and Yazidis are being targeted for forced conversion—facing torture and death if they refuse. Women are being kidnapped and sold as marriage slaves to ISIS fighters.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the “grotesque and targeted acts of violence bear all the warning signs and hallmarks of genocide.” 

The Canadian government cannot stand by while people of specific ethnic or religious groups are being forcibly displaced, brutalized, and murdered. This genocide cannot be allowed to continue; the people of Iraq need to be supported. We ask that our government leverage our national power and goodwill to stand against these atrocities.

We believe that it is in Canada's best interest to swiftly move to provide support and relief for the victims of this horror. We are a nation of immigrants and minorities—we ask that our government give international voice and action to the ideals set out in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.