Jenny Kwan Vancouver East, BC, NDP
I want to thank our witnesses for their presentations and particularly thank the former Afghan interpreters for their service. As I said to the previous panel, you are part of the Canadian military. There is no question about that, and at this juncture, the Canadian government needs to do what is right for you and your families by bringing them here to Canada expeditiously.
To that point, people have been stuck for more than six months. Over 300 families' applications have not been properly processed. Thirty-five per cent of those have received a file number but are still not here. Not one of them is here, and 65% of them have not even gotten a G number.
On the question of differential treatment, one of the measures the Canadian government has given to Ukrainian nationals is what is called a “single journey travel document”.
If your family members and others like them were to receive this single journey travel document from the Canadian government, would they be able to use that document to travel to a third country and then fly to Canada safely?
Ahmad Shah Sayed, Former Interpreter, Canadian Armed Forces, As an Individual
Yes. If the government and the IRCC and the high commissions of Canada issued a single journey travel document with a facilitation letter that would facilitate our families, yes, that is possible. That's exactly what they did with the humanitarian program. That's exactly what they did for those in the Afghan nation that they are bringing right now. There are people coming out of Afghanistan with that single travel document.
That single travel document works as a temporary visa. If our families have that document, they can leave the airport and cross the border or board the airplane and go to other countries.
Jenny Kwan Vancouver East, BC, NDP
Thank you. Mr. Zahed, because of the delay in processing by the Canadian government, family members have been stuck hiding from house to house and street to street. They are on the run. People's lives are in jeopardy. One of your brothers is now missing. Other families have also lost their loved ones. Is it the case that the longer the Canadian government delays this process, the more family members will be lost? How big is the risk for them?
Safiullah Mohammad Zahed, Former Interpreter, Canadian Armed Forces, As an Individual
It's huge. It's unthinkable. That's what we have been mentioning. The IRCC is keeping us busy with forms and all the screening and everything. We have no objection to any of the screening. The problem we have is that we do not have the time. Time is very limited for us. The more time that the IRCC spends on our applications, the closer the Taliban gets to our families. With their intelligence, their information and their sources, they're going to get to our families. In the meantime, our families....
Personally, I have 15 members living in one room because of the lack of money. I cannot send them money from here. I cannot even afford that much money. The government is asking for forms. They have to come back to their house at some point, if they 100% run out of money, and then it will be very easy for the Taliban to catch them. They're on the list. I mentioned earlier that my dad was shot by Taliban in 2013. I have had to move my family around since then, but not as much as these days. At that time we had government and we we had national forces all over the country, but right now we have nothing over there. So yes, we think the IRCC is wasting time. They're keeping us busy with filling out all those forms and it's giving more time to Taliban to get to our families.
Jenny Kwan Vancouver East, BC, NDP
We talked about waiving documentation requirements because it is impossible for people to produce those, especially for families who are worried that they might be caught by the Taliban with documents and absolutely be punished, and so are burning their documents. Are you calling for the Canadian government to waive the documentation requirements? Would your family members who have been supporting the Canadian military on our missions abroad be willing to vouch for your family members? Should that be sufficient for the government to accept, given the high-level security screening that you have already gone through? Once those family members of yours are safely here on Canadian soil, we can then go through the process of the paperwork. Go ahead, Mr. Sayed, and then Mr. Zahed.
Ahmad Shah Sayed, Former Interpreter, Canadian Armed Forces, As an Individual
Yes. We have all the documentation and all of the screenings from the national defence ministry. I have spoken with them. I have had a couple of meetings with the national defence ministry. They sent all the documents to the IRCC. If the IRCC and the government and the foreign affairs ministry are making excuses about the documentation, then that's why we're asking them not to bring our families directly to Canada but send them to a third country. Send them somewhere where they will be safe. At least send them somewhere where the Taliban will not kill them. Then start the process.
All this documentation, all the screening, all the security problems and whatever they are coming up with, the nonsense information they are sending to us, is just wasting our time. It's because of the game of politics. They are trying to take the credit based on our families. We are tired of these politics. We are tired of the extra information and the extra forms. They could have sent these forms six months ago. They are sending the forms now, and we have to wait another three months.
