I'll go.
Evidence of meeting #2 for Afghanistan in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was afghanistan.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #2 for Afghanistan in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was afghanistan.
A video is available from Parliament.
January 31st, 2022 / 8:10 p.m.
Conservative
8:10 p.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Thank you, Chair.
My questions will be for Mr. Ratwatte from the UNHCR.
It was no secret that people would be displaced, the ones who were fleeing violence. We had seen this before when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and even most recently in 2001. It was no secret that people were going to be displaced, and there should have been a plan.
At any point was the UNHCR contacted by any department within the Government of Canada, whether IRCC or Global Affairs or any other department, before August 2020 to give a heads-up that this was the situation and that it might deteriorate?
8:10 p.m.
Director, Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Thank you very much.
In anticipation of the situation deteriorating, in September 2020 we launched a contingency planning process looking at, as you rightly said, that potential displacement—
8:10 p.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
I'm sorry to cut you off, but my question was whether before August 2020 the UNHCR was given any heads-up by any department from the Canadian government that this was going to happen?
8:10 p.m.
Director, Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
You mean before August 2020. I understand. I thought it was 2021.
In August 2020, not—
8:10 p.m.
Conservative
8:10 p.m.
Director, Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The contingency planning we did in December 2020 was presented to governments, including the Government of Canada.
8:10 p.m.
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.
Unfortunately, an issue is preventing the interpreter from doing the job at hand.
8:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.
Mr. Ratwatte, because we need to have the translation, it's very hard unless you speak very clearly with your microphone close to your mouth. That would be helpful.
8:10 p.m.
Director, Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
In December 2020, in preparation for potential displacement from Afghanistan, there was a contingency plan drawn up by UNHCR and shared in March or April with all member states, including the Government of Canada. Therefore, support from the Government of Canada for preparation and contingency planning was included. Also, some $7 million was given to UNHCR in 2021. Some of this was used to prepare, to have contingency stocks in place around the region. We did have support from the Government of Canada [Technical difficulty —Editor] to our contingency planning that was presented.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Thank you.
Can you please table that with this committee, Chair?
8:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Okay.
Mr. Ratwatte and other witnesses, if you have any information that you can voluntarily table, or if members ask you for any, you will be able to give it to the clerk.
8:15 p.m.
Director, Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
There is the contingency plan.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
According to UNHCR's publicly available data, over 2.6 million Afghan refuges have fled Afghanistan. How many of those Afghan refugees have you been able to refer to Canada, either under the protected persons class or under one of the special immigration programs created?
8:15 p.m.
Director, Regional Bureau of Asia and the Pacific, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
I will defer to my colleague Rema, who can answer this one with more detail.
Rema, over to you.
8:15 p.m.
Rema Jamous Imseis Representative in Canada, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Thank you, honourable member.
To date, we are able to confirm approximately 392 referrals by UNHCR to Canada since August 2021.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Of the cases that you did refer as refugees to Canada, how many of those were in Afghanistan?
8:15 p.m.
Representative in Canada, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
None of the referrals made by UNHCR would be of individuals who are still present within the borders of Afghanistan. In order to be classified as refugees, they would need to have crossed an international border, so none of those people would still be in Afghanistan.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Again, have all of those people made it to Canada or there are still some left?
8:15 p.m.
Representative in Canada, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
I would have to confirm for you if all of those who were referred have actually arrived in Canada. There has been a series of delays that have been occasioned by COVID travel restrictions, so I cannot tell you with one hundred per cent certainty but can confirm it.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Are those processing delays? Can that be tabled, please?