Syrian woman in Halifax struggles to bring family to Canada

A Syrian woman  who lives in Halifax says she's been struggling for the last five years to bring her daughter and grandchildren to Canada.

Zoabaida Zarkaoui, who's never met her two grandchildren, has made repeated efforts to get the rest of her family to Canada. They fled Syria and are currently in Turkey.

"I miss my dad, I miss my family, but I can't go there. It's dangerous," she said.  She has lived in Canada for the past 14 years.

"We call Canada, 'make peace country'. We are proud to call ourselves Canadian so I want my daughter, to bring my daughter to the same atmosphere of peace and quiet because it is her right," she said.

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But the conflict in Syria, money and political red tape has proven her efforts unsuccessful so far, she says.

"The most difficult thing I've faced is that there's no Canadian embassy in Syria," Zarkaoui told CBC's Information Morning. 

The picture of Alan Kurdi, a Syrian boy whose body washed up on a Turkish beach, has heightened attention to Canada's own contribution to accepting refugees from that war-torn area and other troubled regions.

Critics say that Canada has historically been able to act rapidly to accept refugees on an urgent basis, but is failing to do so during the current crisis in the Mid-East.

Zarkaoui's daughter, Ghina, wanted to bring her family by boat but Zarkaoui convinced her not to because, she says, a lot of people are dying that way. 

Waiting for help is expensive, dangerous

Ghina stayed in Syria, but the conflict eventually arrived at her doorstep in Damascus. 

"Her house, it's bombed down, actually. She lived in one room in a very bad situation."

But Jordan and Lebanon have closed their borders. Zarkaoui says the only alternative for refuge is in Turkey.  

"In fact, to go to Turkey, it's a lot of money. Like they don't have the expenses to just go to Turkey and live there just waiting to be accepted as refugees." 

Zarkaoui said her daughter and family did make it to Turkey over land. Their lives are not in as much danger, she says, but without work or money their immediate future is uncertain. 

"Yes, I talked to her. She's safe, but it's not in very good condition, like as living." 

Zarkaoui's family, who came to Canada on a visitors' visa but were forced back to Syria, will hopefully one day return to Canada with the help of ISANS. 

Operations Director Gerry Mills says Canadians are just waking up to the desperate reality of the Syrian refugee crisis. 

"It's being called the greatest humanitarian disaster, crisis since the Second World War — four million people out of Syria. And that's nine million people within Syria who are displaced." Mills said.

Zarkaoui remains unwaivering in her determination to get her family to safety.  

"It's her right. It's everyone right to live in peace and safe atmosphere. All families need their children to live a normal life," she said.