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The father of the little Syrian-Kurdish boy photographed lying dead on a Turkish beach says he blames Canada for the deaths of his wife and two sons.

Last week photos of three-year-old Alan Kurdi’s lifeless body shocked the world and drew Canadian political leaders into the debate about how best to help Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

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The Kurdi family had hoped to move to Canada to escape the war in Syria. Alan, his brother Ghalib, 5, and and their mother, Rehanna drowned after piling into an overloaded boat in Bodrum, Turkey, headed for the Greek island of Kos. The boys’ father, Abdullah, was among the few survivors.

The German newspaper Die Welt, via The Times, asked him if he blamed anyone for the death of his family and he replied, “Yes, the authorities in Canada, which rejected my application for asylum, even though there were five families who were willing to support us financially.”

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander all but confirmed last week that new rules implemented by the Conservatives played a key role in the government’s refusal to let Alan’s aunt, Tima Kurdi, who lives in B.C., privately sponsor her other brother, Mohammad Kurdi, and his family to come to Canada. Abdullah’s family had not submitted a formal application to the Canadian government, but they were mentioned in a letter delivered by NDP MP Fin Donnelly to Alexander. The plan, she said, was to bring Mohammad over to Canada first, and then Abdullah and his family.