(OTTAWA) Three Liberal cabinet ministers have declined an invitation to testify in the Senate as the Upper House questions why Canada still refuses to allow aid workers to help Afghanistan.
The Senate Human Rights Committee is scheduled to begin hearings Monday on federal anti-terrorism rules that prevent aid groups from working in Afghanistan.
The Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021, and aid groups say Canadian officials have advised them not to pay people in Afghanistan or buy goods there, because paying taxes could count as support a terrorist group.
Members heard about the case earlier this year, last January, and recommended in a report released in June that Ottawa follow the example of its allies — and the United Nations — by amending laws to make it clear that the delivery of humanitarian aid will not lead to prosecution.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not explain what is taking so long when asked Friday.
We have to try to find a way to get aid to the communities and people who are suffering in Afghanistan, without supporting and funding the terrorist organization that is their government right now.
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“It’s a complex situation. We have a number of allies who have made progress in this area, and we seek to do the same,” he said.
Trudeau said this must be done “in a way that does not support or encourage the Afghan government” which is oppressive and uses violence against its own people.
Senior lawyers like Kent Roach argue that Ottawa is misinterpreting its own laws, given that the federal government has admitted that the Taliban rule Afghanistan and is in regular talks with the regime.
Mr. Roach is one of six lawyers who will appear before the Senate committee on Monday. Others represent the Canadian Red Cross, World Vision Canada and groups serving Afghan immigrant women, among others.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Federal Minister of Public Security Marco Mendicino
The committee has invited Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino, Justice Minister David Lametti and International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan to testify at meetings scheduled for December 5 and 12. The three ministers refused to appear.
“Unfortunately, Ministers Mendicino, Lametti and Sajjan had previous commitments when they received the invitation…and will therefore not be able to appear at this time,” said Minister Mendicino’s spokeswoman, Audrey Champoux, in an email.
Three officials from the Department of Justice and Public Safety will take questions Monday instead.
A global grassroots group, End Afghan Starvation, has called on Prime Minister Trudeau to review “the continuing blockade of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan,” saying the policy amounts to “collective punishment” of the country’s 40 million people.
As longtime allies of Afghanistan, we call on Canada to seize the moment by providing essential humanitarian assistance to save Afghan lives, regardless of the political circumstances.
Excerpt from an open letter from the group End Afghan Starvation
The United Nations has sounded the alarm as a harsh winter sets in and millions of people have no access to food or water. The collapsing economy and rising food prices mean families are spending 75% of their income on food, according to the UN.
Half of Afghanistan’s population is now classified as food insecure, including six million people officially at risk of starvation.
“They will have little food, little fuel — and they will struggle to keep their children warm and fed,” Joyce Msuya, the UN’s deputy emergency relief coordinator, told a council meeting. security last month.
“The humanitarian situation which was already dire across the country throughout the year will only get worse. »
The International Committee of the Red Cross has also reported a spike in cases of childhood pneumonia and child malnutrition in the country.