Afghanistan

Canada’s response to the humanitarian crisis faced by Afghan people, particularly for those who find themselves in danger of retaliation by the Taliban for serving Canada’s missions in Afghanistan, or who were part of a network funded by Canada that worked to advance the rights of women in Afghanistan, has left far too many people behind.

New Democrats have for years been urgently calling on the Government of Canada to lift the 40,000 cap for the Special Immigration Measure for Afghans so that those who risked their lives and that of their family members, including extended family members, to serve Canada are afforded the opportunity to get to safety in Canada that the Liberal government promised following the fall of Kabul and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

Without knowing how many Afghans served Canada, the government set an arbitrary cap of 40,000 in its Special Immigration Measure (SIM) to help bring them and their extended family members to safety. Department officials have indicated that there are no more spots available, and it will not issue any new invitations to those left behind, including those known to Canada, and who have been vetted by DND and GAC.

The fact remains that Canada has made promises to the Afghan people that remain unfulfilled, abandoning the Afghan people who put their lives and that of their family members in jeopardy to help Canada complete its missions. This is simply unconscionable. These people should be treated as part of the Canadian military family and their situation remains dire.

The Canadian government must lift the cap and accelerate the processing times with increased resources and a sense of urgency that is commensurate with the situation to expeditiously bring these Afghans and their extended family members to safety.

NDP Statement: NDP statement on announcement for special measures for Afghan nationals with significant ties to the Government of Canada

"While the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said that these measures are “timely,” there is nothing timely about announcing long overdue measures the day after the tragic death of an Afghan interpreter. The eligibility gaps in the previous Conservative program which ended in 2011, that have led to this situation, were criticized at the time as only 1 in 3 applicants were eligible. It’s unconscionable that a decade later we are still here.

"Just weeks ago, the Minister said Afghan interpreters can apply under existing programs while the NDP had been calling for dedicated measures. The Liberal’s scramble to change their tune is demonstrated by the fact that the government is still unsure how many Afghans are eligible to come to Canada, but that they will be consulting the military’s list of interpreters that have worked with Canada’s military. After all this time, why is the government only consulting this list now?

Globe NEWS: Former Canadian embassy employee says he fled Afghanistan after Taliban attack, urges Ottawa to extricate his family

Asked whether the government would accept former employees of the Canadian embassy in Kabul, Mr. Mendicino said his inclination is to be as inclusive as possible.

Last week, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to set a date for when Ottawa will get Afghan interpreters and staff out of Afghanistan. NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan has called on Mr. Mendicino to put in place a special immigration measure to provide immediate refuge to those who aided the Canadian government and their families.

Rather than wait for the federal government to act, a group of Canadian veterans have recently used their personal savings to move Afghan interpreters and other locally employed workers to safer parts of Afghanistan. Not Left Behind, an organization created to press Canada to safeguard the lives of its Afghan employees and their families, said that former members of the military have funded safe travel for more than 20 families since Friday.

Canadian Press NEWS: Special immigration measures will help Canada resettle thousands of Afghans who worked with military, embassy

Recently released figures show the rejection rate for permanent residency applications on humanitarian and compassionate grounds has risen sharply over the past couple of years.
"These decisions were done quietly behind closed doors and there is little public accountability in this opaque and discretionary process," said NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan.
Canada allows some people who would not usually meet the criteria for permanent residency to apply on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, which are considered on a case-by-case basis according to factors such as how settled someone is here or the best interests of children.
According to data the Immigration Department provided in response to an order paper question from Kwan this spring, the rate of applications refused after processing ranged from 35 to 41 per cent between 2016 and 2019. Those figures do not include applications that were withdrawn.

Globe NEWS: Former Afghan drivers who worked for Canada say their lives are in danger from Taliban reprisals

“For two decades, Afghan drivers served our Canadian embassies, military and our RCMP. After years of trusted service, the Liberal government is refusing to allow a pathway to safety for Afghans who served Canada. Trudeau is turning his back on them in their hour of need,” he said.
NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan has also called on the government to help Afghan employees who worked for the Canadian government.
On Friday, Ms. Kwan wrote an open letter to Mr. Mendicino urging him to put in place a special immigration measure to provide immediate refuge to Afghan interpreters and their families who have been left behind.

Globe News: Canada working to resettle dozens of Afghan interpreters and staff facing retaliation from Taliban

Dozens of Afghan interpreters and others who worked for the Canadian government during its military mission in Afghanistan are hoping to be resettled in Canada amid fears their lives are in danger from Taliban reprisals as the U.S. withdraws its troops from the war-torn country.

New Democrat immigration critic Jenny Kwan said as Canada’s allies withdraw troops from the country, “time is of the essence” to resettle Afghan employees who aided the Canadian government.
“To say that Canada will monitor the situation, which is the minister’s response, that’s akin to saying that Canada will stand on the sideline and watch as Afghan interpreters receive the death sentence,” she said in an interview.
Ms. Kwan also took issue with the idea of dealing with cases individually, calling it a “stock answer to quell public pressure.”
Afghan interpreters who helped the Canadian military, Ms. Kwan said, should not be left behind.

OPEN LETTER to Immigration Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister - Follow-up on immigration measures for Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan

As noted by the WSO, on March 25, 2020, ISIS-K terrorists attacked Gurdwara Sri Guru Har Rai Sahib in Kabul and murdered 25 Sikhs, including four-year-old Tania Kaur. At the funeral for the victims of this attack, a second attack was initiated involving the detonation of an explosive device. Earlier, in July 2018, the senior leadership of the Sikh and Afghan communities was assassinated in a suicide bombing that took 19 lives in Jalalabad. In June 2020, an Afghan Sikh, Nidan Singh Sachdeva, was abducted from a gurdwara and tortured for weeks. That was followed on July 17 by the abduction of 13-year-old Salmeet Kaur who was kidnapped from a Kabul gurdwara where she was living with her blind mother and younger brother. Salmeet’s father was killed in the March attack. ISIS-K has sworn to exterminate all Afghan Sikhs and Hindus if they do not leave Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s Sikh and Hindu communities face a threat to their very existence. The minority communities which once numbered over 200,000 have now dwindled to less than 800, due to decades of persecution. Only those families remain that do not have the means to relocate elsewhere. The majority of the community is forced to reside in gurdwaras and face discrimination in accessing education, employment and housing. As ISIS-K continues to attack civilians and international troops continue to withdraw from Afghanistan, Sikhs and Hindus are likely to face more violence.