SoVote

Hon. Tim Uppal (Edmonton Mill Woods, CPC)

Dec/7/21 2:09:57 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to recognize the 100th birth anniversary of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. His holiness was a Hindu swami of Swaminarayan denomination and he gifted the people of Canada the magnificent BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto, which is the first traditionally hand-carved Hindu place of worship in all of Canada. The Mandir stands as a symbol of Canada's abundant diversity, cultural mosaic and freedom of religion. His holiness lived by the saying “In the joy of others lies our own”. This was evident in his work, which promoted health and inspired spiritual, humanitarian, environmental and educational initiatives. BAPS charities have supported communities right across Canada, including in my riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, and provided thousands of COVID vaccines to Canadians. Since his passing in 2016, his successor, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, continues his legacy of inspiring people around the world. Pramukh Swami Maharaj's life work is one that needs to be preserved and celebrated for the present and future generations.

174 words

Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21

Hon. Tim Uppal (Edmonton Mill Woods, CPC)

Dec/7/21 3:55:22 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Barrie—Innisfil. The Taliban regime is known for its brutality, human rights violations and ruthless killings. For months now, we have been hearing from our men and women in uniform about the imminent dangers to those who fought alongside them in Afghanistan and that their lives are at risk. Thousands of Afghan refugees remain stranded in Afghanistan and surrounding countries, but the Liberal government has yet to announce the timeline or a plan for resettling all 40,000 refugees it promised to bring to Canada. These brave individuals supported our military heroes in Afghanistan during their darkest times. The least we can do is help make sure they are safe. Despite the deteriorating situation, and the life-threatening conditions these refugees are living in, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands. In the four months that have passed since Kabul fell, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has failed to deliver on the promise made by the government to Afghans fleeing the Taliban regime. The inaction of the Liberals on this issue is inexcusable. NGOs, experts and veterans all warned the government months before Afghanistan fell that urgent action was needed to help Afghan interpreters, support staff and their families. The government ignored these warnings and instead called an unnecessary election. The government had months to prepare for the refugee crisis in Afghanistan. It knew vulnerable Afghan refugees needed help before the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. The Liberal-made backlogs have left refugees in the dark. Veterans and members of NGOs have had to step up and become the last hope for many Afghans stuck in limbo, a limbo created by the government. Not only did the government fail to get Canadians, interpreters, support staff and their families out of Afghanistan as the country fell to the Taliban, it also refused to continue to fund their safe houses. Safe houses have been protecting religious minorities and women as the country faces growing economic and food crises. These brave men and women continue to be forced to hide from the Taliban. In addition to the government's complete indifference, there was a serious government data leak that exposed many Afghans who had applied for visas here in Canada. It occurred shortly after the Liberals promised to bring in 40,000 Afghans threatened with Taliban reprisals because of their previous work as rights advocates, journalists, members of the judiciary, or because they belong to religious and ethnic minorities targeted by these terrorists. The recent data breach at IRCC continues to threaten the lives of several hundred vulnerable Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban. The ramifications of this inexcusable mistake will have life-threatening consequences, and the government must take immediate action to address this unacceptable error. We heard from Canadians who are worried about their loved ones. I have met with many of them in my riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, and they continue to hear of the Taliban using phone and Internet surveillance to track down, and in some cases kill, perceived enemies and religious minorities in Afghanistan. I am standing here today to ensure the government shows some accountability because further mistakes of this nature, or delays in bringing Afghan refugees to Canada, could have grave consequences for those whose help we once needed, and they desperately need our help now. Afghan interpreters, embassy staff and their families are now being hunted down by the Taliban because they put themselves in harm's way to help our country. Extremist and terrorist groups are making it difficult for refugees to escape on foot through rural Afghanistan to countries such as Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Liberal government has brought to Canada less than 10% of the number of Afghan refugees that it had promised it would bring during the election. Faced with the prospect of life or death, these brave Afghans cannot afford more incompetence and red tape from the Liberal government. Canadians need to know that safeguards are in place to protect those who fought alongside our country in Afghanistan. We must examine what contingency plans Canada had in place for evacuations of Canadians, and we need to ensure that real efforts are being made to bring Afghan interpreters and others who helped the Canadian Armed Forces in that region to Canada. The fact that those who served alongside our men and women in uniform were left behind in Afghanistan is a stain on our country. This is why Conservatives are calling for a special committee to review and analyze the inaction of the Liberal government on this issue and make recommendations on how Canada can quickly get these Afghan interpreters, support staff and families to Canada. This committee is not just about looking back. It is also about looking forward and making an actual plan to help them. I cannot speak about Afghanistan refugees without thinking about and acknowledging the heroic work by my dear friend and former Alberta minister Manmeet Singh Bhullar. When he heard of the plight of religious minorities in Afghanistan, such as Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities, he worked day and night to try to get them here to Canada as refugees. Manmeet was killed in a tragic accident in 2015. His dream of bringing these religious minorities to Canada lives on through the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation and organizations such as the World Sikh Organization, where hundreds of Canadians have collected funds to support applications to bring refugees here to Canada. Unfortunately, much like with the issue with interpreters, contractors, their families and those who supported Canadians, there is little progress. There is no timeline, and there is no clear plan to bring them here. Religious minorities, women's rights leaders and democratic activists continue to be forced into hiding from the Taliban. They need our help. Any attempt by the government to cover up their failures in Afghanistan by using security concerns as an excuse will not be acceptable. The requested documents will be subject to a thorough process that will protect Canada and its allies from publicly releasing potentially sensitive security information. Words without action or a plan are useless. As the Taliban's grasp on Afghanistan tightens, and its hunt for remaining allies continues, now is the time for action. Lives are at risk. We need real answers, followed by real action. Our friends in Afghanistan and their loved ones depend on it.

1080 words

All Topics

Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21

Hon. Tim Uppal

Dec/7/21 4:04:36 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, Canadians elected us to come here to hold the government to account. That is exactly what we are doing here today. We are presenting ideas. We have presented this idea to have a special committee to look at this very important issue, an issue that he himself is saying is very important. We are just debating it. All members of this House have the opportunity to discuss this issue, debate it, and vote on it. That is how this place works, and that is why we have put this forward. This is not only to look back at the lessons learned, the mistakes that may have been made or that were made, or the fact that they decided to hold an election when they should have been taking action, but also to look forward. It is not very often that we, in this place, discuss an issue as vital and as important as this. I can truly say that this is a matter of life and death. That is why this is so important, and that is why we need this committee.

184 words

All Topics

Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21

Hon. Tim Uppal

Dec/7/21 4:06:49 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I would much rather have Canada work with NGOs that understand how to help people on the ground. One other point the member made that is very important is that this really is about people on the ground. I know the Liberals throw around this number, and they made a big announcement that 40,000 Afghans would be brought to Canada, but they have barely scratched the surface on that. They have not taken action to bring them here and they do not have a plan or a timeline. The remaining people in Afghanistan are not just a number. The people in my riding of Edmonton Mill Woods sat with me and talked about their brothers, fathers and mothers: people who are still in Afghanistan and badly need our help. We need to be there for them.

139 words

All Topics

Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21

Hon. Tim Uppal

Dec/7/21 4:08:36 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, the legacy of Manmeet Singh Bhullar will truly be how much he wanted to bring so many of the Afghan religious minorities to Canada. He literally stayed up day and night, talking to them on Zoom during the night to learn more about their situation. He worked to get some of them, very few, to India and then worked on a process to get them here. Very few of them have made it here.

76 words

All Topics