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.

CIM#34: Addressing the nature of a new amendment

Hill Times NEWS: Refugee advocates hope Canada’s Ukrainian response will set ‘precedent’ for future emergencies

Immigration Canada’s treatment of other refugee groups is ‘discriminatory,’ and ‘everyone trying to navigate the system should have the same standards regarding all entry requirements,’ says NDP MP Jenny Kwan.

CBC NEWS: Afghan advisers who helped Canada’s military say gov’t has further delayed rescue of families from Taliban

‘Blood will be on Canadian government’s hands,’ says federal NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan.

"These advisers wore the Canadian uniform, essential to Canada's missions, yet in their greatest time of need when families are in grave danger, the Canadian government says get through normal immigration process," Kwan said. Extended family members are not eligible for the family sponsorship immigration route. Kwan noted that the processing times for regular immigration streams are very long.

Kwan said Canada is being racist. "Canada is using differential treatment for people in Afghanistan more than that of Ukraine, even though both are under siege and at great risk," she said. "Why is that? Is it the colour of their skin? Is that the prevailing reason? This is outright discrimination."
Kwan said the department can easily issue temporary residence visas or "single travel journey documents" for those families to expeditiously arrive in Canada.
"The government has to do what is necessary and our legal and moral responsibility," she said. "Knowing that many lives are threatened and we are not doing everything to bring them here to safety, blood will be on the Canadian government's hands."

News Forum VIDEO: MP Jenny Kwan on Ottawa's "Disgraceful" Treatment of Afghans Fleeing the Taliban

MP Jenny Kwan rebuting the Immigration Minister in this tv interview

Canadian Press NEWS: Thousand of Afghans who helped Canada trapped in Afghanistan, struggling to leave

The federal government needs to do more to help thousands of Afghans who assisted Canadian Forces but remain trapped in Afghanistan a year after the Taliban seized Kabul, aid groups and opposition parties say.
As the grim anniversary passed Monday, NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan warned at a news conference that Canada will have blood on its hands if it does not take immediate action to help Afghans whose lives are in danger because they helped Canadians.
She called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene to sort out “chaos” at the Immigration Department, which she said has still not processed many applications to come to Canada.
“No more excuses,” Kwan said. “We do not want to lose lives because if we do the blood is on the Canadian government’s hands.”

Global NEWS: Thousands of Afghans who helped Canadian Forces still struggling to leave Afghanistan

As the grim anniversary passed Monday, NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan warned at a news conference that Canada will have blood on its hands if it does not take immediate action to help Afghans whose lives are in danger because they helped Canadians.

She called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene to sort out “chaos” at the Immigration Department, which she said has still not processed many applications to come to Canada.

“No more excuses,” Kwan said. “We do not want to lose lives because if we do the blood is on the Canadian government’s hands.”

Canadian Press NEWS: Canada less than halfway to Afghan resettlement goal one year after Taliban takeover

A year after the Taliban seized control of Kabul, Canada’s resettlement efforts have lagged behind official targets and the efforts to help those fleeing the war in Ukraine. More than 17,300 Afghans have arrived in Canada since last August compared to 71,800 Ukrainians who have come to Canada in 2022 alone, according to government statistics. The federal government has promised to resettle 40,000 Afghans.
Canadian activists and MPs accuse the Liberals of not doing enough to help people who worked with the Canadian Forces in the country, including as interpreters.
They say some families are in hiding from the Taliban as they await approval of their immigration applications, while others have been split up, with children and spouses of applicants left behind.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan, who has been in contact with many Afghan refugees who worked with Canadian Forces, said there is a “stark difference” between the government’s treatment of those fleeing the Taliban and those fleeing the Russian invasion. She said the situation for Afghans who helped Canada is “grave,” with many unable to escape the country and facing persecution by the Taliban.

Indo Canadian Voice NEWS: NDP says it will keep fighting for urgently needed and life saving assistance for Afghans

Today marks the one-year anniversary since the devastating fall of Kabul and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, which launched the country into the worst humanitarian crisis in decades. While many families have fled Afghanistan and are seeking asylum, others were left behind in an evacuation that started too late and ended too early.
Kwan and McPherson pointed out: “The Special Immigration Measures for Afghans announced in 2021 are coming to an end, meaning that many people who assisted Canada on missions and their families may never make it to safety. Instead of expediting processing, the Liberal government made the application process confusing and full of bureaucratic red tape. The NDP exposed that at least 2,900 applications referred by the Department of National Defence are lost between departments. This is beyond unacceptable.
The Liberals have a duty of care to help people who worked for the Canadian government and their families – instead, they left them behind. Now those who worked for Canada as interpreters, security guards, as well as former women Afghan parliamentarians and their families are being persecuted by the Taliban. Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government are failing in their humanitarian and moral duties.

CPAC VIDEO: NDP Parliament Hill news conference to discuss humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

Jenny Kwan, the NDP critic for refugees and citizenship, and Heather McPherson, the party’s critic for foreign affairs and international development, mark the one-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and discuss what needs to be done to help families stranded in the country. Also participating in the virtual news conference are Wadood Dilsoz, director of the Afghan Community Vancouver Foundation, and Reyhana Patel, director of communications and government relations for Islamic Relief Canada.

CBC NEWS: ‘Waiting for our death’: Afghan miliary lawyers beg Canada for help to escape

A former Canadian military legal officer says a group of Afghan lawyers and other staff who helped his mission in Afghanistan have been "left in the dark," and is urging Canada's Immigration Ministry to act quickly to help them escape the Taliban.

It's been one year since Canada began accepting fleeing Afghans through its one-year special immigration program for Afghans who helped the Canadian government, set up a few weeks before Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021.

To date, roughly 17,170 Afghans have arrived in Canada. Last month, the Liberal government closed its immigration program to new applicants, less than halfway toward its goal of bringing 40,000 Afghans to Canada.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan has said the government's claim that other immigration avenues remain open to Afghans is "deceptive."

"That is just a rejection," she said.