Gazan boy in city for medical treatment

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This article was published 16/01/2025 (325 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An 11-year-old boy, who has a genetic condition that requires complex medical treatment, has made the harrowing journey from the war-ravaged Gaza Strip to Winnipeg, where he was welcomed with open arms at the airport Thursday by Premier Wab Kinew.

The premier said the boy was accompanied by his mother, who expressed gratitude for Manitoba’s willingness to step in and help her family.

Kinew said the province is proving it’s a “human rights beacon” by providing urgent medical attention to two Palestinian children who can’t get the help they need in Gaza.

“I think that people across Manitoba have all been moved by what we’ve seen in Gaza and the region,” Kinew told reporters at a news conference later in the day.“I want the good people to be able say ‘We did what what could. We did not look away.’”

The two children were chosen because Manitoba’s health care system has the capacity to provide the type of care they need, said the premier, who wouldn’t provide details out of to respect for their personal health information.

“This is in keeping with the humanitarian spirit that our province has been founded and built on,” said Kinew, who presented the boy with a small Canadian flag at the airport.

“I’m asking you, my fellow Manitobans, to set out two more place-settings at the table of our Manitoba family,” Kinew said later at the legislature.

He reiterated his government’s No. 1 commitment is to fix the health-care system.

The premier was joined at the news conference by federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller, Winnipeg South MP and Sport Minister Terry Duguid, pediatric surgeon Dr. Melanie Morris, Doctors Without Borders representative Dr. Jason Nickerson who helped connect the young patients with the province, and several caucus members.

“Today, the medical needs in Gaza are absolutely immense,” said Nickerson, who thanked Manitoba and Canada for stepping up to help. “More than 100,000 have been injured and more 12,000 people are awaiting medical evacuations,” he said.

Morris, who is donating her time to care for the 11-year-old apart from her regular duties, said she felt called to help “as a human being.”

“The unimaginable challenges this child and their family have faced: the loss, the fear, the uncertainty, are difficult for me to comprehend,” she said. “I’m deeply moved by their courage and their strength.”

The boy, who wants to study engineering when he’s older, will start treatment in the coming days. Kinew said they can’t divulge information yet about the second child who’s expected to arrive in the weeks ahead.

“I want to share that the utmost of care and judiciousness was exercised when the background screening, the biometric identification and security vetting was conducted,” said the premier.

Miller said Kinew called him several months ago to ask how to help get sick children out of Gaza.

“It hasn’t been easy. It requires a lot of diplomatic outreach,” said the immigration minister. It also requires governments that are willing to expend “political capital,” said Miller.

“We’ve quietly brought some people into Canada, into other provinces, but there are very few leaders who’ve stood up and said, ‘I’m going to put my name behind this,’ and Wab Kinew stands out as one of them,” Miller said.

“I wanted to thank the province of Manitoba for working with us, and encourage other provinces to do the same,” he said.

The premier said organizations have stepped up to help.

The non-profit sector is providing housing and other services while the Manitoba Islamic Association pledged $50,000 to support each of the families and offered support before and after their arrival, Kinew said.

They’ll receive interim federal health benefits, that will allow them to obtain work and study permits, he said.

The mother of the 11-year-old said she wants to be a contributing member of the community, the premier said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca