The Afghan Refugees Canada Left Behind

"Those refugees face an uncertain and volatile future in neighbouring countries, and Canada is here to help them as well."

"In an initial effort to alleviate the emerging humanitarian crisis in the region, Canada will build on our earlier special immigration program to welcome over 20,000 vulnerable Afghan refugees in total."

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, September 2021

 

"The defence team remains ready to support the whole-of-government effort to get these Afghan nationals out of harm's way."

"The Canadian Armed Forces will provide additional flights as required, and DND will continue to support the vetting process and advise on contingency plans for a range of scenarios as our government monitor the evolving security situation in Afghanistan."

Then-Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan, August 2021

 

"Yes, I'm a bit frustrated, I'm happy that they actually acted, and that there's a process in place. But that process needs to be considerably accelerated or we're really going to be faced with a disaster, which I don't think any Canadian would be willing to accept."

"There needs to be more communication with these legitimate Canadian organizations that are connected to the Afghans who supported us in Kandahar, Kabul and across the country so that we can communicate the plan to them and speed the process,"

(retired) Major-General Denis Thompson, commander, Canadian troops in Afghanistan, 2008-2009

 

"We could have done so much more. It's hard for me just to think about those that I know that are still there. What do I say to them now?"

"What are all the other veterans going say to their interpreters? Sorry? Good luck?"

Retired corporal Dave Morrow, Canadian-Afghan Interpreters group

Afghans from northern provinces who fled their homes due to the fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces take refuge in a public park in Kabul, August 13, 2021.  ©2021 AP Photo/Rahmat Gul

On the return of the Islamist fundamentalist Taliban to power in Afghanistan in August of 2021, Canada pledged it would relocate 20,000 refugees. This is the government of Justin Trudeau's Liberals. This is the prime minister of Canada who called a surprise election the very day that Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. Never one to miss an opportunity, during the election campaign that followed, it was stated rhat the government was prepared to set aside $350-million to resettle Afghan refugees.

And then it promised even more; that the number of refugees from Afghanistan would be doubled to 40,000 once the Liberals were returned with a minority government last September. The refugees would primarily consist of those citizens of Afghanistan who worked as contractors in various capacities for Canada; as interpreters, consular employees and such. And would also include Afghans escaping the fear of violence under the Taliban, fleeing to neighbouring countries for haven.

 

Evacuees termed Canadian Entitled Persons sit in a Royal Canadian Air Force C-177 Globemaster III transport plane for their flight to Canada on Aug. 23. Photo by Canadian Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters/File

Evacuation efforts for those who had given aid to Canadian troops had barely begun and suddenly came to a crashing halt in late August once American forces summarily pulled out, leaving Kabul's airport in total chaos. While other countries sent in  helicopters or armed patrols in evacuating refugees, Canada's department of foreign affairs informed Canadian-linked evacuees they were on their own, to find transport to the airport.

Through efforts fraught with violence and danger those refuge-seeking Afghans who had been promised Canadian haven, appeared at the airport only to be turned away by soldiers; some captured on video ignored by Canadian troops even while they held aloft their approval letters from Canada's immigration department along with their passports, begging to pass through to board the aircraft they were promised would take them to safety.

These were Afghans and their families who had risked their future to work alongside foreign troops in a NATO-US-led mission who were left to their own devices despite having been promised for years that their service would be repaid with safety in Canada. Canadian government officials ignored the urging of volunteers intent on saving those Afghans whose safety was compromised by their having committed to working with Canadian diplomatic offices and military personnel.

Now figures that have been released show that a mere 2,385 Afghan nationals who had given assistance to Canada over the 13-year mission in Afghanistan actually arrived in Canada, out of over 6,000 applications that had been approved for immigration. The thousands of interpreters and civilian contractors employed by the Canadian Armed Forces had forwarded applications to Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department as "Government-Assisted Refugees" under special immigration measures.

IRCC had received 14,380 applications. Government approved 6,184 of those applications for relocation, and of that total only 2,385 were relocated to Canada. The Afghan security guards, embassy staff and fixers working for Canada were considered 'traitors' by the Taliban, and as such the pressure to leave before they were discovered and summarily executed qas of utmost importance. As of March 23, according to numbers posted by IRCC, 9,560 Afghan refugees arrived in Canada across all immigration streams and programs.

Afghan citizens numbering 4,325 arrived under government or privately-sponsored refugee programs. This Liberal government talks a good line about how welcoming Canada is to immigration from abroad and how responsive it is to to world crises leading to vast increases in the world's refugee crises. It makes promises along with grandiose statements of accountability, yet the final analysis of actual accomplishments leave much to be desired.

Internally displaced Afghans from northern provinces, who fled their home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, take refuge in a public park Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)