MPs say something must be done for Yazidis, but can't agree on what or how soon

An emotional three days of testimony on the plight ofminority refugee groups has ended with no consensus on how thefederal government could move forward to help.

That's prompted opposition Conservatives and New Democrats topropose their own solutions while slamming the Liberals for theirseeming unwillingness to assist one particular group desperate toescape genocide, theYazidis.

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All the MPs on the Commons' immigration committee were visiblymoved by testimony during hearings on vulnerable minorities thatdetailed the atrocities facingYazidisin Iraq.

The unusual summer hearings were called to find ways to help.

But the immediate response to the testimony amounts to a letterto the federal immigration minister that contains no recommendationsother than a call to expedite applications from the Yazidis, aKurdish minority group which practices an ancient faith.

Randeep Sarai, one of the Liberal MPs on the committee, said theletter is the best that can be done right now. It will take time tocome up with solutions based on the volume of evidence presented, hesaid.

'Barbaric' acts against Yazidis

"It's like asking a judge to make a decision on the same day asa 10 day trial," Sarai said in an interview Thursday.

There's no question, Sarai said, that what's happening to theYazidis is barbaric and demands the world's attention.

The United Nations said as much in a report last month thatcalled, among other things, for countries to accelerate the asylumapplications of Yazidi victims of genocide.

The UN report spurred the committee to hold the extraordinarysummer meetings, so the absence of specific recommendations isdisappointing, said Conservative MP Michelle Rempel.

"We can't wait until the House gets back in September forquestion period and 10 weeks of committee study," she said."The government has to act over the summer."

In the meantime, Rempel and NDP MP Jenny Kwan have sent publicletters of their own to the minister laying out their ideas. Amongtheir proposals is that the minister invoke his powers under theimmigration act to accept applications from people abroad onhumanitarian and compassionate grounds, opening an avenue beyondtraditional refugee streams.

The former Conservative government had sought to prioritizereligious minorities, but an audit of those efforts revealed itdidn't quite work. Only three Yazidi refugees arrived out of morethan 500 files reviewed, The Canadian Press reported this week.

The audit findings spurred bitter partisan bickering at thecommittee. The Liberals asserted the Conservatives could have helpedbut did not, while the Tories argued the Liberals are resistingaction because it was a Conservative initiative.

Kwan, the New Democrat, said the partisan rancour should beshelved in the face of a population at risk of being wiped off theearth.

Focus on solutions

"What we've got to do is focus on solutions," she said."You guys can do the blame game all you want and right now we
are talking about people's lives and people's lives are at risk."

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister John McCallum said that,given the committee just finished on Wednesday, it will take time toreview what they heard.

Camielle Edwards noted Canada's existing policy providesprotection to women and girls at risk, as well as well as members ofreligious minorities who are refugees.

"What we can say is that the minister recognizes the compellingnature of the claims of Yazidis as ISIL is attacking them," Edwardssaid.