In August 2014, Daesh launched an attack across the Sinjar region of Northern Iraq. The area is primarily inhabited by the Yazidi people, a long-established ethnic and religious minority group condemned by Daesh because of their beliefs. The atrocities reported from the region included the removal and murder of Yazidi men, the sexual slavery of Yazidi women and girls, and the incorporation of Yazidi boys into Daesh fighting groups. Canada and other members of the international community mobilized to support those who fled within Iraq and to neighbouring countries. The House of Commons passed a motion in 2016 calling on the Government of Canada to provide asylum to Yazidi women and girls, the most vulnerable victims of the 2014 attack. The ensuing initiative saw more than 1,000 Yazidis resettled in Canada within the past year.

One year after their arrival in Canada, lessons can be learned about their resettlement experience, especially in regards to resettlement locations as well as housing and financial needs. The resettling of Yazidi women and children in Canada is a first step to rebuilding their lives. However, a number of critical support services such as better access to mental health support and interpretation services are needed in order to fully integrate. The road to recovery for survivors of Daesh also includes reuniting with family members who were left behind.

On 16 October 2017, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration decided to request an update on the resettlement issues faced by Yazidi women and girls in Canada. The Committee met with representatives of government departments, settlement agencies, refugee sponsors and newly arrived Yazidi women and children. This report provides a number of recommendations based on the issues heard during the course of the study. Among these, the Committee would like to highlight the importance of increasing Canada’s refugee resettlement targets and facilitating the private sponsorship of Yazidi women and children. The Committee also recommends developing a best practices guide on resettlement and integration of vulnerable groups as well as anticipating linguistic capacity needs in order to provide professional interpretation to newcomers in their mother tongue.

Resettlement initiatives are not the only solution to the violent displacement endured by the Yazidi people. Stabilizing the Sinjar region and creating a favourable environment for those wishing to return is also part of rebuilding the lives of Yazidis. The Government of Canada, through its Middle East strategy, is providing humanitarian assistance and international security to the region in the hopes of seeing it prosper in the near future.