SoVote

Mr. Sukh Dhaliwal (Surrey—Newton, Lib.)

Jun/8/22 4:21:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan, entitled “Honouring Canada’s Legacy in Afghanistan: Responding to the Humanitarian Crisis and Helping People Reach Safety”. In accordance with the motion adopted in the House on November 8, 2021, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report. I want to congratulate the members of the special committee from all parties and thank them for their dedication, teamwork and collaborative efforts over the past six months. I also want to thank the support staff, including clerk Miriam Burke and the analysts Julie Béchard and Allison Goody, for all their hard work in preparing this very important report.

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Context: House Hansard - 84 - Jun/8/22

Hon. Michael Chong (Wellington—Halton Hills, CPC)

Jun/8/22 4:22:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on the supplement to the report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan. Our supplementary report adds the following evidence and observations not included in the main report. While all NATO allies scrambled in the withdrawal and evacuation last August from Afghanistan, Canada performed particularly poorly. The war in Afghanistan was Canada's longest war. Canada's withdrawal from Afghanistan last August was not only a betrayal of our soldiers, diplomats and Afghans themselves, but it was a disaster that has damaged Canada's interests for years to come. Allies and competitors around the world will question the strength of the Canadian government's commitments and whether the government is willing and able to back up these commitments with effective action. Afghans who worked for Canada were left behind and are being persecuted by the Taliban, precisely because they worked for Canada. The Canadian government had a moral duty to evacuate these Afghans and their families and failed to do so.

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Context: House Hansard - 84 - Jun/8/22

Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)

Jun/8/22 11:56:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we are here this evening because the government has made a commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees, a commitment that we are failing to deliver on. How many have we actually welcomed? It is only 15,000. While the minister pats himself on the back for welcoming 37.5% of our commitment, people are suffering. While the minister pats himself on the back for a failing grade, people are dying. How many people are hiding in abandoned buildings trying to evade the Taliban's wrath, who would kill not only them but everyone they hold dear, like women and children? It does not matter who, because the Taliban are a group of people who have put individuals into cages and set them on fire. The government is keeping 25,000 terrified people waiting. Canada made a commitment. The government is not delivering, and people are dying because of it. Even of the 15,000 who have made it, how many were because of the government and how many were because of the heroic efforts of civil society organizations like the Veterans Transition Network? It stepped up in the absence of government leadership to help resettle at least 2,061 refugees. Sadly, as even the CBC reported, even it has had to stop its efforts because its staff were so exhausted by “logistical nightmares” and “bureaucratic red tape”. Since November of last year, I have had the extreme privilege of working with the Cassels law firm in Toronto in the hopes of savings the lives of people who have assisted Canada in Afghanistan. They were our nation's lawyers in Kabul, but right now it seems their lives do not matter very much. Enough with the excuses; bring them to Canada now. A short time ago, my hon. colleague, the member for Calgary Forest Lawn, raised in this House the tragic death of Nazifa, who was a 10-year-old girl murdered by the Taliban because her father worked with our military in Kandahar. How many more children will die before the government honours our nation's word? Just two weeks ago, I was in Warsaw and met with a number of Afghan refugees who were rescued by Poland. Poland has also welcomed 3.6 million Ukrainian refugees. The Afghan refugees need our help. They want to resettle in Canada. I met with an Afghan couple, he a journalist and she a teacher. He showed me the messages that he had received from the Taliban telling him they would kill him and his wife and any family members they could find. I also spoke with a former justice of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. She told me about how she cannot go back because when the Taliban took over, they opened the doors of the prisons and released all the criminals, criminals she had convicted of heinous crimes. What happened to the government's feminist foreign policy? Canada made a commitment. People's lives are at risk, and the government must honour our nation's word. What is the plan for the 25,000 people who are waiting for the government to honour its word? Give us a timeline. Please. We are at 15,000 now. When will we hit 20,000 or 25,000? When will we hit 40,000 refugees?

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Context: House Hansard - 84 - Jun/9/22

Mr. Kevin Vuong

Jun/9/22 12:03:14 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as the son of refugees, I applaud the government's commitment to 40,000, but my question for my hon. colleague is, when? He has spoken about the importance of supporting members of the LGBTQ community and activists. There is Rainbow Railroad. When are we going to be able to support them to come over? I talked about Canada's law firm in Kabul and Mr. Shajjan. His 28 lawyers are still stuck in Afghanistan. When will they be brought over? I have talked about a number of journalists and a justice, but there is also an Afghan interpreter who is now seven months pregnant. She is wife to a veteran of our nation and is in a third party country right now, Pakistan. She has still not been able to make her way here. When can they come to their new home?

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Context: House Hansard - 84 - Jun/9/22

Mr. Darren Fisher

Jun/9/22 12:04:19 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we are one of the only countries in the world to have implemented a humanitarian stream to welcome even more Afghan refugees based on their particular vulnerabilities. Individuals are referred by designated partners that are trained and experienced in assessing vulnerability and operating in situations of mass displacements and humanitarian hardship. Our referral partners include the United Nations Refugee Agency, Front Line Defenders, ProtectDefenders.eu and Canadian private sponsors. In light of the current situation in Afghanistan, we will waive the requirement for a refugee status determination for private sponsorship applications. Also, our government is going to work with partners to utilize the economic mobility pathways pilot, an innovative program designed to help skilled refugees resettle in Canada, to welcome even more Afghan refugees. We have not wavered in our world-leading commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees in Canada. As I said, earlier today Canada welcomed another 300 Afghan refugees.

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