Senator Omidvar: My question is about Afghanistan. I think we all appreciate the people of Afghanistan are suffering under brutal persecution by the Taliban. Added to that, there are food and medicine shortages, an earthquake that left 1,000 people dead, as well as other humanitarian issues. Canadian charities and NGOs on the ground in Afghanistan are ready and willing to help, but their hands are tied behind their backs and they are unable to do any work in Afghanistan because of a strict interpretation of Canada’s anti-terrorism law. That law effectively bans them from working on anything in Afghanistan because it is governed by the Taliban, which is listed by Canada as a terrorist entity. Therefore, anything they do runs the risk of being charged under the anti-terrorism law.

Other countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. have exempted charities and NGOs from similar laws so as to at least provide assurance that their work will not result in prosecution. Will the Canadian government do the same?

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, my statement is a sister statement to that of Senator Ataullahjan’s last week on Afghanistan, but I would like to use my time to pivot and shine a light on the great efforts and contributions that are being made by ordinary Canadians to help Afghans get to safety. Many of these Afghans are individuals who assisted Canadian troops, diplomats, Canadian NGOs, Canadian journalists and our allies. Even though Canadian troops left Kandahar in 2014, we left behind many colleagues and co-workers who, wittingly or unwittingly, because of their association with us, are now targets of the Taliban. Our moral obligation to them is undeniable.

Thankfully, many Canadians have risen to the challenge, especially veterans of the Canadian military, including former generals who are shining a light on a daily basis on the precariousness of the lives we left behind. They have come together to identify the people at risk and their families, have set up volunteer networks to guide and house them in safehouses and, with the help of sophisticated technology and networks on the ground, they have planned their often very dangerous evacuation to Pakistan. They are doing so on a self-financed, volunteer basis through donations. They have been able to get hundreds out with many more to come. They have been active and delivered results, whereas our government has talked about processes, protocols and promises — not enough, I will conclude.

The same is true for many Canadian NGOs and media organizations like The Globe and Mail, that are working night and day to get their Afghan colleagues out of the country. Just recently we heard of the heroic efforts by the Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian-led initiative to provide safety to LGBTQ Afghan refugees. They have successfully evacuated members of their at‑risk community to safety to the U.K. — to the U.K., colleagues; not to Canada. Why? One might well ask.

I want to applaud these courageous and dedicated citizens. We, the Senate and our nation, owe them a debt of gratitude. Please help me commend these true heroes and urge our government to work alongside them, follow their lead and support their citizen-led efforts. Thank you.