Humanitarian delegation confident in security despite feds discouraging travel to Syria

Security considerations will be top of mind for a Parliamentarian's rare trip to a conflict zone as part of a humanitarian delegation set to visit detention camps in northeastern Syria. The delegation is currently composed of Independent Senator Kim Pate (Ontario), human rights lawyer Alex Neve, and former Canadian ambassador Scott Heatherington. A second human rights lawyer may also join the delegation. Pate said she received a briefing from Public Safety Canada, which advised against the trip taking place, citing the lack of a Canadian presence on the ground in Syria. “ a general recommendation against the trip,” Pate told The Hill Times. “But when I interrogated further particular issues, I was satisfied that there was no particular risk to me in terms of my personal safety or security, and so I’m quite willing to go at this stage.” She noted there is no indication that others who have travelled to the detention camps to perform repatriation have been threatened. Repatriation is not on the agenda for Pate's group, which will instead focus on the welfare of those held in the camps. Sally Lane, the mother of Canadian detainee Jack Letts, told reporters on June 22 that she chose not to join the group as it won’t be conducting repatriations, which was an initial hope of the delegation. Public Safety Canada didn’t respond to questions about Pate’s briefing, referring them to Global Affairs Canada (GAC). “The Government of Canada continues to advise against all travel to Syria,” said GAC spokesperson Jean-Pierre J. Godbout. “Canada closed its mission in Damascus in 2012 and currently has no diplomatic representatives in the country. Canada’s ability to provide consular assistance in the country is therefore extremely limited.” The delegation plans to fly to Erbil, Iraq, and then cross the border into Syria by land. Plans for the trip are still being finalized, but the delegation is looking to travel during the last week of August and spend three full days on the ground. A humanitarian delegation is hoping to visit Canadians held at detention camps in northeastern Syria in late August. Photograph courtesy of Human Rights Watch Pate’s trip to Syria will be a rare one for a non-cabinet Parliamentarian to a conflict zone. NDP MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, Alta.) travelled to Ukraine in March after the House of Commons turned down the Foreign Affairs Committee's request to travel to the war-affected country following security recommendations against it taking place. Pate said she would welcome other Parliamentarians joining the trip. “The more people who are responsible for creating or following through on some of the commitments Canada has made, especially those of us who are Parliamentarians, it is important, just as I think it’s important in this country for any legislator who’s legislating in the area of criminal sentencing law to know the conditions of confinement that will result of the decisions we made,” she said. Green Party deputy leader Jonathan Pedneault was in discussions to be part of the delegation, but had a scheduling conflict, according to Neve. Pedneault recently finished fourth in the June 19 Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que., byelection, which was won by Liberal Anna Gainey. Pedneault travelled to Ukraine earlier this year. Pate said the trip could be reassessed if the security situation changes. “If it’s not a safe situation to go into then I wouldn’t advocate myself or anybody else going into an openly unsafe situation,” she said. “If it’s an uncomfortable situation as opposed to unsafe, I’ve been in lots of uncomfortable situations before and I would fulfill my obligation as a Canadian and as a Senator, representing the interests of those who aren’t otherwise being represented by our government to fulfill that obligation.” She said Heatherington, who was a foreign intelligence director at the then-named Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, is advising on security for the trip. The delegation held a call with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) on June 26, during which they received positive signs that their visit could go ahead, Neve said. “We’re feeling confident this is on track and be well received from the Syrian Kurdish administration, and that we should be able to carry out the kind of mission we hope,” he said. While the delegation hasn’t had direct approval from AANES that it will be able to enter the camps, Neve said they “conveyed strong support for the mission” and that it is “welcomed.” He said there has yet to be any discussions with the AANES about security concerns. “The next stage is for us to be very specific about what locations we want to ask for and which individuals we want to have access to,” he said. “At this point, it’s looking very encouraging.” Neve said the delegation is “very attentive” to security concerns, and is working with a United Kingdom-based security expert and locals for security advice. “We will be assessing the security situation daily, and if we need to revise our plans, cancel our plans, postpone our plans, and change our itinerary, we of course would do so,” he said. “We feel confident that we’ve carried out and are continuing to carry out a very careful, detailed security assessment taking into account where we’re travelling, what our plans are, the connections we’re going to have with local officials, and at this point, we are of the view that we can carry this out safely,” he said. Neve highlighted that he has deep experience operating in conflict zones as a former longtime secretary-general for Amnesty International Canada. Human rights lawyer Alex Neve says the humanitarian delegation is needed because of the Canadian government's lack of action. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade The Federal Court ruled in January that the Canadian government must repatriate four Canadians being held in detention camps in northeastern Syria, but an Appeal Court decision in late May reversed the decision. Neve said the trip had become necessary due to the federal government's lack of action. “The fact that we feel compelled to do this is, sadly, an indictment of the failure of the Canadian government’s own policies and advocacy with respect to the Canadians in northeastern Syria,” he said. “In many respects, it's in the Canadian government’s court to resolve this even before we travel,” he said. “They could bring home all Canadians that remain stranded in northeastern Syria,” he said. Neve said he hopes to provide family members of Canadian detainees an update on their cases. Pate said her objective for the trip is to find out where the Canadians are located in the detention camps. “It’s a welfare trip to assess how Canadians are faring in the camps and in the detention facilities,” she said, noting that the delegation also plans to hold meetings with local officials on the next steps for repatriation. She said the conditions in the detention camps are so “horrendous” that she feels an obligation to not only draw attention to the issue, but also help alleviate it. nmoss@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

Humanitarian delegation confident in security despite feds discouraging travel to Syria

Few non-cabinet Parliamentarians have travelled to conflict zones. Independent Senator Kim Pate received a 'general recommendation' against the delegation's planned trip to Syria.

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Humanitarian delegation confident in security despite feds discouraging travel to Syria

Few non-cabinet Parliamentarians have travelled to conflict zones. Independent Senator Kim Pate received a 'general recommendation' against the delegation's planned trip to Syria.

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