Conservatives slam government for failing to deliver on their commitments to Afghanistan

JASRAJ Singh Hallan, Conservative Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Critic for Public Services and Procurement, on Monday in a statement on the one-year anniversary of the Taliban taking over control of Afghanistan said that “the Afghans who served alongside our country deserve better,” adding: “For the last year, my Conservative colleagues and I have heard from Afghans suffering because of the failure of the Canadian government to deliver on their commitments to Afghanistan.”

They noted: “Despite warnings that Afghanistan was at risk of falling to the Taliban, the Liberals failed to plan for an evacuation of our partners in Afghanistan and continue to struggle to provide thousands of Afghans safe entry into our country. While our coalition allies were planning and organizing to evacuate their people, Canada’s government was forced into a caretaker convention.

“Now, either forced into hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan or stranded in a third country, Afghans who’ve applied to immigration programs available to them have been lost amongst the IRCC’s [Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s] seemingly endless backlogs. Many applicants have only ever received auto-replies, while countless others have never even received a response.

“It is shameful the Canadian government would treat Afghans who stood by our country like this while the Taliban hunts them for their service.”

Hallan and Paul-Hus said: “Conservatives are calling for an end to the culture of secrecy and unaccountability at IRCC. The Liberal government has a moral obligation to do everything they can to get these families to safety. It must immediately reopen the Special Immigration Measure program and adopt the immigration recommendations of the report from the Special Committee on Afghanistan. Our Afghan partners deserve action now, not more empty promises over another year.”