A boy from the Gaza Strip seeking medical treatment arrived in Winnipeg on Thursday, supported in part by the Manitoba government, and a federal cabinet minister called on other provinces to do the same.
The 11-year-old Palestinian boy and his mother were met at the airport by Prime Minister Wab Kinew, who said the province is already planning to welcome a second child in the coming weeks.
“We have always been a people who rise up in times of conflict, famine and natural disasters to help the innocent,” Kinew said.
Kinew did not name the 11-year-old boy or provide details of his medical condition, citing privacy concerns. The boy, who came to Egypt with his family, has a genetic condition that cannot be fully treated in the region, Kinew said.
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The prime minister handed the boy a small Canadian flag at the airport and spoke to him through a translator.
“He misses the other members of his family who he hasn't seen in over a year and wants to study engineering when he's older,” Kinew said.
Marc Miller, federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said children from Gaza have come to Canada for medical help, but this was the first time a provincial government threw its weight behind the effort.
“We've had other provinces where we've had private sponsorship or hospitals that have stepped up and said, 'We'll treat these people,'” Miller said. “It's a hell of a lot easier when a prime minister stands up and says, 'I'm going to put my name behind this.'
“I think we can do more as a country.”
The child was identified with the help of Doctors Without Borders in Egypt and the federal government completed an admissibility review.
Non-profit groups in Manitoba have stepped up to provide accommodation for the boy and his mother, Kinew said, and the Islamic Association of Manitoba and other groups have offered financial support, food and more.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023, children have been sent from Gaza to Qatar, several European countries and the United States for medical care.
Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry says there have been more than 110,000 wounded during the war. A third of the 46,000 deaths have been children.
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