OTTAWA—Canada should lead an international effort to investigate and collect the “clear evidence” of crimes against humanity that have been committed against Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar, says the Liberal government’s special envoy to the region, Bob Rae.

In a report released Tuesday, Rae calls on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to more than triple the amount of money spent on aid to the region, to $150 million a year over the next four years; to accept thousands of largely Muslim minority refugees who have fled Myanmar without specifying a particular number; and to maintain targeted economic sanctions against individuals responsible “for the abuses of human rights and the crimes against humanity in Myanmar.”

Wider, more general sanctions against the country haven’t worked in the past, he said.

Above all, he urged Canada to take a clear stand and press for justice and accountability for the tragedy unfolding in the region.

Although Myanmar hasn’t signed onto the treaty granting jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court, there are ways for the international community, via the court or the UN, to investigate events over the last several years, and prosecute those responsible, Rae said.

“What we do, or don’t do, in response to the Rohingya crisis will be a litmus test for Canada’s foreign policy,” said Rae, a former Liberal leader, lawyer and foreign affairs expert.

At a news conference to discuss his report, Rae said the situation has all the hallmarks of a “possible genocide” and the world doesn’t need to dwell on legal definitions before acting to prevent it from happening.

He said “it is clear that a strong case exists for the presumption that a number of crimes against humanity have been committed in Myanmar,” including abuses and forced deportations by the Myanmar military, militia and other groups and individuals, all fuelled by deliberate campaigns of hate and contempt distributed on social media.

“The lesson of history is that genocide is not an event like a bolt of lightning; it is a process, one that starts with hate speech and the politics of exclusion, then moves to discrimination, then policies of removal, and then finally to a sustained drive to physical extermination,” he wrote.

Rae’s report canvases the historical roots of the ethnic violence between the largely Buddhist majority and Muslim minority peoples in the region and the extent of today’s humanitarian crisis.

But Rae warned the world not to place sole blame on Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won elections in 2015, who now serves as the country’s minister of foreign affairs.

Rae met with her on two occasions, including once with Trudeau on the sidelines of a recent international summit, and said he believes she is “aware” of the current plight of the Rohingya. Rae said he wishes she had, and would, speak out against what is happening.

But there are effectively two governments in Myanmar, one military and one civilian, with the military having control over internal affairs, and Suu Kyi does not control the military, he said.

“She’s not even the head of her party. She’s the best known person from her country in the world,” said Rae. “But she is not really someone who’s running the show. She is not in charge. She has no control over the military in her country. She was in prison and she was under house arrest for almost 20 years by the military.”

Rae refused to comment on whether Canada should yank honorary citizenship from Suu Kyi, saying the previous Conservative government of Stephen Harper bestowed the honour in 2014 and he was unaware on what basis the gesture was decided. He said it remains “a political decision” of the government of the day.

Nevertheless, Rae made it clear he does not “exclude” Suu Kyi from any responsibility she may bear for the tragedy, saying any military or civilian authorities found to have violated international law should be called to account. He said Canada and others must think carefully about how decisions were made there and who is responsible, said Rae. “It’s complicated.”

Rae flagged the urgency of dealing with the crisis.

He said international and Canadian efforts to help refugees need to be better funded and coordinated to resolve a crisis that threatens the lives of tens of thousands in the upcoming monsoon season.

Rae briefed Trudeau and a cabinet committee on his report last week, but was not told how the government would respond.

Shortly after its release, Trudeau issued a written response, saying Canada is determined to respond to the crisis. “In the coming weeks, we will assess the recommendations in this report and outline further measures we intend to take.”

Rae did not detail how many more refugees he hoped Canada would accept, but emphasized any decision would not be “a solution” to the crisis, merely part of a much needed broader approach.

At the same time, Canada should work with the government of Myanmar, where the military controls borders, security and defence, to create safe conditions for the return of refugees, saying any future return must be “conditional” on proof that their safety and rights will be protected. That is far from guaranteed at the moment, as hundreds of thousands more ethnic Rohingya face deplorable conditions in displaced persons camps still inside Myanmar, and public opinion is clearly opposed to enhancing rights and protections for them.

Key to any resolution must be an independent mechanism to investigate, said Rae. But he acknowledged working with the Myanmar government, while pressing for those responsible for the crisis to be held responsible, would be a tough “balance” to strike.

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“I think you have to do both,” said Rae, who added: “we wouldn’t be doing this alone.”

He named China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia as countries affected by the crisis who all have an interest in establishing more stable conditions in Myanmar, and in Rakhine state, in particular.

Rae was named in October 2017 to advise the Trudeau government on an appropriate response to the crisis that unfolded late last summer. The latest spasm of violence, in a historically tense border region of Bangladesh and Myanmar, sent more than half a million people pouring into Bangladesh to escape village burnings, rapes and targeted killings. The sudden surge ramped up the refugee population in camps along the border to nearly a million, shocking the global community.

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