A child from the Gaza Strip seeking medical attention arrived in Winnipeg on Thursday, thanks in part to the Manitoba government, and a federal minister called on other provinces to follow suit.

The 11-year-old Palestinian boy and his mother were greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Wab Kinew, who said the province was already planning to welcome a second child in the coming weeks.

“We have always been the people who, in times of conflict, famine and natural disasters, stood up to help the innocent,” Kinew said.

Kinew did not name the 11-year-old boy or discuss details of his medical condition, citing privacy concerns. The boy, who arrived in Egypt with his family, has a genetic disease that cannot be fully treated in the region, Kinew said.

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The Prime Minister gave the boy a small Canadian flag at the airport and spoke to him through a translator.

“He misses the rest of his family, whom he hasn’t seen in over a year, and wants to study to become an engineer when he’s older,” Kinew said.

Marc Miller, the federal minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, said children from Gaza have come to Canada for medical help, but this is the first time the provincial government has put its full weight behind the effort.

“We’ve had other provinces where we’ve had private sponsorship or hospitals have stepped forward and said, ‘We’re going to treat these individuals,'” Miller said. “It’s a lot easier when the prime minister stands up and says, ‘I’ll put my name behind it.’

“I think we can do more as a country.”

The child was identified with the help of MSF in Egypt and the federal government completed an eligibility check.

Non-profit groups in Manitoba stepped up to provide housing for the boy and his mother, Kinew said, and the Islamic Association of Manitoba and other groups offered financial support, groceries and more.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, children from Gaza have been sent to Qatar, various European countries and the US for medical care.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 110,000 have been injured during the war. One third of the 46,000 killed were children.

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