The House of Commons rose in a show of support Wednesday for the increased effort to bring home four Comox Valley children allegedly abducted by their Kuridish-Canadian father.
Courtenay-Alberni NDP MP Gord Johns urged the government to do more to bring back his constituent Alison Azer’s four young children.
Many MPs got to their feet on seeing the Courtenay mother in the House and hearing an exchange between Johns and Omar Alghabra, parliamentary secretary to the foreign affairs minister.
“The standing ovation wasn’t for me, it was for Sharvahn, 11, Rojevahn, nine, Dersim, seven, and Meitan, three,” Azer said as she choked back tears in a phone interview.
“It was a turning point for me today to be in the House hearing my member of Parliament speak with such passion and emotion as to move most of his colleagues.”
Azer’s children left Canada on Aug. 4 on a court-approved European vacation with her former husband and their father, Saren Azer, also known as Salahaddin Mahmudi-Azer.
Saren Azer is a Comox Valley doctor who has raised money to provide medical care for refugees in Iraq and humanitarian aid to Syria.
He was granted permission to take the children to France and Germany, but, according to Alison Azer, later flew with them to Iraq.
The children and their father never returned. Alison Azer believes the children are now in Kurdistan, in northern Iraq. There is a Canadian warrant for Saren Azer’s arrest.
“Today, she [Alison Azer] is here in Ottawa, urging the government to do everything it can to help bring her children safely home,” Johns said during question period in Ottawa.
“Could the minister please inform the House and Alison what actions the government is taking to ensure the safe and immediate return of her children.”
Alghabra thanked Johns in the House for his tireless work on the case and said the Liberal government remains committed and deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of the Azer children. Alghabra has been in regular contact with Alison Azer, meeting her on Monday and before Wednesday’s question period. Alison Azer said Alghabra has been heartfelt in their meetings.
“I want to assure the House that our officials are working closely with government authorities here and abroad, including law enforcement agencies.
“I want to take a moment to recognize Ms. Azer's strength and commitment. I want to assure her and the House that we are very committed to the return of her children safely at home,” Alghabra said.
Six months after her children went missing, Alison Azer said her MP and the government had shown they care.
It was an emotional outpouring for the distraught mother as many identified with her plight, Johns said. “It was a very heartfelt moment, she was in tears and so was I,” he said.
In Comox Valley, students watched question period live. There have been 15,000 letters sent from the area to Ottawa, calling for the urgent and safe return of the children, Johns said.
“We are not doing enough until those children are home,” Johns said. “We need to take every possible step. We need to do everything we can, all of us.”
Alison Azer said her relationship with her husband had been acrimonious. She had fought in court to prevent any international travel involving the children. She feared her ex-husband would take the children to the Middle East to never return, she said. The courts decided otherwise because he was an upstanding professional, Alison Azer said.
When the children were reported missing, a federal election campaign was underway. When she met Johns, she said, he vowed that, if elected, he would fight for her.
It’s now incumbent on the government “to do everything it takes to get my kids home,” Alison Azer said. Until Wednesday, Johns had refrained from asking such a question in the House as he has been working closely with elected officials and senior bureaucrats behind the scenes, with the priority of keeping the children safe.
On Wednesday, Alison Azer asked Johns to use political levers to bring attention to efforts to bring her children home.
Canada is highly involved in Kurdistan, she said. “I want Canada to use its clout. I hope there is a day they learn what I did for them, what Canada did for them, because that will make this story right.”
