Hon. Tracy Muggli: Honourable senators, World Refugee Day is June 20. It is a day to honour the courage of people forced to flee conflict and to reflect on how we address displacement around the world.

Among the many displacement crises today, Sudan is the most severe. More than 13 million people in Sudan have been forced from their homes, either within the country or across its borders.

That is 13 million people seeking refuge, separated from families and communities. It is children out of school, often malnourished and traumatized. It is parents making impossible choices to try to keep their families alive.

Imagine every person west of Ontario uprooted and unable to go home: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut — everyone; every citizen displaced.

However, this is so much more than displacement. El Fasher endured more than a year and a half of siege before it fell. The United Nations estimated that about 260,000 people were in the city before the takeover. Yet, by January, fewer than 35,000 people had been recorded as reaching relative safety. That gap is horrifying to me. More than 225,000 people remain uncounted.

Sudan is the most severe example, but I could also speak about Gaza, Haiti or Cuba. I could point you to Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yemen, Afghanistan and, of course, Ukraine.

Across the world, people are fleeing war, hunger and instability. Colleagues, on this World Refugee Day, I ask you to challenge dehumanizing rhetoric, to speak out and to remind people that refugees do not choose displacement; they are forced to flee. I ask you to speak up in defence of humanitarian access and to demand accountability for those attacking hospitals, water systems and aid workers.

Colleagues, Canada must not become invisible when we are needed most. Our humanitarian organizations are already on the front lines. We should start by listening to them, backing their work and incorporating their warnings into Canada’s foreign policy review.

Sudan cannot be allowed to fade from view. Canadians have a simple way to say, “We have not forgotten.” Through World Vision Canada’s Speak Up for Sudan initiative, Canadians can call 1-877-25-RESPOND — I will repeat that like a commercial: 1-877-25-RESPOND — to lend their voices to children and families caught up in this crisis. It matters to speak up in times like this because we are all part of humanity.

Thank you, marsee, meegwetch.