Basın Kiti & Medya

Today, we stand here not only for ourselves, but for thousands of people.

We are families who came to Canada under the humanitarian measures introduced after the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye in 2023.

We arrived in Canada after losing our homes, our jobs, our stability, and, for many of us, our loved ones. Canada did not simply open a door for us; it gave us hope and a chance to rebuild our lives.

Over the years, we have worked hard to become part of this country. We worked. We paid taxes. We enrolled our children in Canadian schools. We integrated into our communities. We followed the rules. We believed in Canada.

Today, however, thousands of people and families are living with profound uncertainty.

This is not merely an immigration file.

• —This is the future of children who continue their education in Canadian classrooms.
• —This is the hard work and dedication of people who have spent years building their lives here.
• —This is about hundreds of Canadian citizen children whose families now face the risk of separation and displacement.
• —This is about people who survived one of the worst natural disasters of our generation and now fear losing the lives they have rebuilt.

We are not asking for special treatment.

We are asking for a fair and humane solution.

We are asking that the humanitarian commitment Canada made to earthquake survivors be allowed to fulfill its purpose: giving people a genuine opportunity to rebuild their lives.

We believe the situation facing thousands of earthquake survivors today represents an extraordinary and deeply troubling outcome for people who were welcomed to Canada through humanitarian measures.

We are part of this society.

We came to Canada believing in its values.

Today, we ask Canada to stand by those values.

Thank you.

— TS2023 Families