MPS vote to resettle Uyghurs

Members of Parliament have unanimously called on Ottawa to start a refugee program to resettle 10,000 Uyghurs fleeing persecution in China.

Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi proposed the motion last June, calling on the government to launch a program in 2024 to bring Uyghurs and other Muslims of Turkic origin to Canada.

The UN Human Rights Office reported last August that China is committing “grave human rights violations” against Uyghur people, and that some who fled to other countries have been “forcibly returned,” though Beijing rejects these reports.

The motion, which is not binding, calls on Canada to develop a plan within four months to take in 10,000 Uyghur people.