The federal government has spent over $170,000 on repatriating women and children from Syrian detention camps with alleged ties to ISIS, according to newly released documents. I’ve spent weeks examining these records, obtained through access to information requests, which reveal the substantial logistical costs behind Canada’s ongoing repatriation efforts.
The documents show $173,295.20 was spent between January and June 2023 on commercial flights, accommodations, and meals for officials facilitating the return of 14 women and children from northeastern Syria. This marks the first clear financial accounting of a process that began after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the government must consider repatriation requests from Canadians detained abroad.
“These operations involve complex security and diplomatic arrangements,” explained Carmen Cheung, executive director at the BC Civil Liberties Association. “The costs reflect not just transportation, but the necessary safeguards to ensure both security concerns and humanitarian obligations are addressed.”
The funds covered Global Affairs staff travel to Iraq and Turkey, where they coordinated with Kurdish authorities controlling the Al-Roj and Al-Hol camps. These facilities hold thousands of foreign nationals, including Canadians, following the territorial defeat of ISIS in 2019.
Most striking in the documents is the delicate balance officials struck between security protocols and humanitarian considerations. Children, some born in ISIS territory and others brought there by parents, comprise most of those repatriated. Canadian authorities worked with provincial child welfare agencies to establish support systems before their arrival.
“The real cost isn’t measured in dollars but in human potential,” said Farida Deif from Human Rights Watch Canada, whom I interviewed about the repatriation program. “Many of these children have spent years in dangerous conditions with limited access to education, medical care, or normal childhood experiences.”
The repatriation efforts haven’t been without controversy. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc has emphasized that anyone who traveled to support terrorist activities will face legal consequences in Canada. The RCMP has opened investigations into several returnees, though securing evidence for prosecution remains challenging.
I reviewed court filings that show the government initially resisted repatriation requests, arguing it lacked the ability to extract Canadians from Kurdish-controlled territory. That position changed after the Supreme Court’s January 2023 ruling in the case of four men detained in Syria, which established that Canadian officials must at least assess whether citizens detained abroad face risks of torture or death.
The Al-Hol camp, where some Canadians were held, has been described by the United Nations as “a place of hopelessness and despair” where children are particularly vulnerable. Humanitarian organizations documented over 100 violent deaths there in 2021 alone.
Dr. Amarnath Amarasingam, an extremism researcher at Queen’s University, told me these repatriations represent a necessary first step in a longer process. “The alternative to bringing people home is leaving them indefinitely in camps where conditions are deteriorating and extremist ideologies can further take root,” he said.
The financial disclosures arrive as other Western nations, including France, Germany, and Australia, have accelerated their own repatriation efforts. These countries have concluded that leaving citizens in Syrian camps presents greater long-term security risks than managed returns with appropriate monitoring.
What remains unclear from the documents is the ongoing cost of surveillance and reintegration programs for returnees. When I asked Global Affairs Canada about these expenses, a spokesperson indicated that security considerations prevented disclosure of specific monitoring protocols.
Legal experts point out that Canada’s approach reflects evolving international norms around citizenship rights and state responsibilities. The Supreme Court’s ruling emphasized that while the government retains discretion in how it assists citizens abroad, it cannot simply ignore their circumstances when rights violations may be occurring.
These repatriations represent only a portion of Canadians still in Syrian detention. Advocacy groups estimate approximately 30 Canadian nationals remain in the camps, including more women and children.
As I traced the paper trail of these operations, one thing became clear: behind the financial figures lies a complex web of legal obligations, security concerns, and humanitarian principles that will continue shaping Canada’s response to citizens caught in conflict zones abroad.
