(Ottawa) The Conservative Party is calling for the creation of a special parliamentary committee to examine the Canadian government’s belated response to the rapid fall of Kabul to the Taliban in mid-August.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have pledged to repatriate 40,000 Afghan refugees following the Taliban’s return to power. So far, some 4,000 refugees have been repatriated, about 10% of the target, and Immigration Minister Sean Fraser is refusing to set a timeline for meeting that commitment.
Conservative leader Erin O’Toole argued Monday that a parliamentary inquiry is needed to shed light on the inadequate management, according to him, of the operation to repatriate Afghan refugees. His party will table a motion in the House of Commons on Tuesday to create the committee. This committee would have the power to call as witnesses Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and some of his ministers, notably the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, the Minister of National Defense, Anita Anand, and the Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser. , among other ministers.
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau could also be summoned to answer questions from committee members. Finally, the committee should submit a report within six months.
For its work, the committee could also request documents such as minutes, emails, notes and all other documents from the Privy Council Office, the Department of National Defense, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade. and Development, and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, as well as the Prime Minister’s office and relevant ministerial offices regarding the start of evacuation planning and guidelines for the implementation of the evacuation plans. evacuation
“Afghans are at risk right now in Afghanistan because they have helped Canada. The Conservatives are calling for the creation of a special committee to examine the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban. We are going to hold the Trudeau government to account for its failures, ”said O’Toole at a press conference.
“The Trudeau government had months to prepare for the eventual withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, to plan what that might mean for the Canadians on the ground and the Afghans also who fought alongside the Canadians. The Liberal government repatriated less than 10% of the Afghan refugees they promised to bring back to Canada. […] This committee will help Canadians understand why the government has failed in its response, ”he added.
Canada has only received about 4,000 refugees since the fall of Kabul in mid-August. Even if you add up the approximately 1,700 people who have been approved and who are waiting in a third country – most of them in Pakistan – and the nearly 9,300 Afghans still in their country who have been given the green light, we are far from the target.
Last week, the Conservative Party took to the front lines during Question Period in the House of Commons to condemn this slowness in rescuing vulnerable people – women leaders, religious and ethnic minorities, human rights defenders – as well as human rights activists. hundreds of interpreters who served alongside the Canadian Forces during the mission in Afghanistan.
During the last election campaign, the Liberals revised upwards their initial target for receiving refugees from Afghanistan, from 20,000 to 40,000 in their platform. No precise timetable has been set, unlike what was done in 2015 in the case of Syrian refugees. At most, money has been provided for the program (350 million) until 2022-2023 in the document.
In interview with Press, two weeks ago, Minister Sean Fraser pleaded that because of the challenges on the ground, he did not want to dangle an “artificial” date to people wishing to travel to Canada and their loved ones.
Canada continues to send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, where conditions are deteriorating.
Several organizations, including the United Nations, are warning of the imminence of a serious humanitarian crisis, when a vast majority of the population does not have enough to eat, and winter is approaching.
No cent is paid directly to the Taliban regime, Global Affairs Canada was told.
“Canada does not provide humanitarian assistance funding to the Government of Afghanistan. Funding for humanitarian aid is allocated directly to experienced partners such as the UN, the Red Cross and specialist NGOs with the operational capacity to respond to these needs, ”a spokesperson for the ministry said in an email. , Geneviève Tremblay.
In early 2021, when the withdrawal of American troops was announced, Ottawa contributed $ 27.3 million. To this is added another 50 million additional, announced last August, for Afghanistan and neighboring countries, added the spokesperson.