CTV has a news blurb about a woman and her child who are currently stranded in Lebanon. According to her husband here in Montreal, the reason is because although she is a permanent resident of Canada, she is not a Canadian citizen. In other words, she’s screwed right now. On top of that, their daughter is just as stranded - though she does have citizenship having been born here, she is only a year old and is too young to travel alone. The husband seems to have been simply turned away by Ottawa when she sought answers and help.

I don’t claim to know the answers to where Ottawa should draw the line between who they’re obligated to help immediately and who they can only help if they have a chance down the line. I do know that I have sympathy for the woman, her husband, and their little girl. It must be frightening to be stranded in a dangerous area right now. I also know they’re just a handful of innocent people trapped in a fight they’re not actively a part of.

It’s somewhat surreal - and a little scary - to sit here in the comfort of my relatively safe home, a whole world away from bombs and air strikes, seeing and reading about this in the news. I don’t know if I feel grateful or guilty.

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