Alan Kurdi's family will be coming to Canada.
During Election 42 disturbing news came to light in the wake of Alan's lifeless body washing up on a Turkish shore.
It emerged that Alan's aunt had applied for but was encountering roadblocks in bringing Alan's uncle's family to Canada. Chris Alexander, the then Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, claimed that his hands were tied; that he couldn't intervene and that the lack of a UNHCR document was fatal to the application. We learned later that this was, at best a half-truth, and more likely, complete obfuscation. The Prime Minister's Office had intervened months prior, and for political reasons in UNHCR referred refugee files. Alexander's statements, and the PMO actions is a circle that cannot be squared. I wrote about the political chicanery involving the most vulnerable in October.
Thinking the path to Canada was foreclosed, it appears that Alan's father made the fateful decision to try to reach Greece via boat.
It resulted in the tragic loss of his wife and two young boys.
Those deaths likely contributed to opening Canada's door for thousands of others.
This fact appears to be of some solace to Alan's father.
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