West Vancouver MP John Weston says he has a renewed appreciation for Canadian freedoms after recently returning from Iraq, where he spoke to government officials about human rights.
Weston made the rare trip with the organization One Free World International, a Toronto-based Christian group that advocates for religious minorities and human rights in areas around the world.
"No one remembers when a Canadian member of Parliament was last there," said Weston, following his return from Iraq on Sept. 15. Yet, he said, "Our voice there is disproportionately influential."
For many years, minority groups lived together in relative peace in Iraq, said Weston. But years of war have destroyed that. Among those Weston spoke to in Iraq who have suffered persecution were Yazidi, members of a Kurdish religion in northern Iraq, Sabeans, members of another small religious sect, and Christians, whose numbers in Iraq have declined by 50 per cent since 2003.
Weston travelled with the leader of One Free World, Majed El Shafie, and met high-level officials including the vice-president, and vice-prime minister of Iraq and the president of the Iraqi parliament.
"We wanted to leave the message that we cared about the rights of minorities," said Weston. He said he hopes the government will include protection for minorities in its new constitution.
Weston was in Iraq from Sept. 6 to 15. While there, he wore body armour and travelled in armored convoys with tight security.
It was a stark contrast to a recent trip around his own riding where he rode his bicycle, he added.
"It was overwhelming to witness the fear and distrust in a community beleaguered by violence," he said. "You appreciate the freedoms we have in Canada."
