Manitoba welcomes Gaza child seeking medical help, other provinces called to follow – Winnipeg

A child from the Gaza Strip seeking medical treatment arrived in Winnipeg Thursday, supported in part by the Manitoba government, and a federal cabinet minister called on other provinces to follow suit.

The 11-year-old Palestinian boy and his mother were greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Wab Kinew, who said the province already has plans to welcome a second child in the coming weeks.

“We have always been a nation that rises up in times of conflict and famine and natural disasters to help the innocent,” Kinew said.

Kinew did not name the 11-year-old boy or discuss details about 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 gave the boy a small Canadian flag at the airport and spoke to him through a translator.

“He misses his other family members who he hasn’t seen for over a year now, and he wants to study to become an engineer 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 had put its full weight behind the effort.

“We’ve had other counties where we’ve had private sponsorships or hospitals step up and say, ‘We’re going to treat these individuals,'” Miller said. “It is much easier when a prime minister stands up and says: ‘I will put my name behind it.’

“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 the admission screening.

Non-profit groups in Manitoba have stepped up to provide housing for the boy and his mother, Kinew said, and the Manitoba Islamic Association and other groups have offered financial support, groceries and more.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, children from Gaza have been sent to Qatar, several European countries and the US for medical care.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says there are more than 110,000 wounded during the war. One third of the 46,000 killed are children.

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