Evidence of meeting #6 for Afghanistan in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was afghan.
A video is available from Parliament.
Chair, Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association
Thank you.
I would say that investing in the development of an emergency response framework that is set with objective criteria so that can determine how emergency responses are handled in the future, and for IRCC to be funded sufficiently to process this Afghan response and have it not impact the existing caseload....
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Monsieur Brunelle-Duceppe, I appreciate that.
Now I will go to Madam Kwan for a minute or a minute and a half.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you.
I have a quick question. The government announced that it would provide an extended family sponsorship process for Ukraine. Should the government be applying the same special immigration measure for Afghanistan?
The question is to both Wendy and Kaylee.
Founder, Lifeline Afghanistan, and Professor, Ryerson University, Ted Rogers School of Management
I believe there are many innovative approaches that can be used, and that's certainly one that would be very helpful to many of the families we're dealing with—for example, my employee I mentioned.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
I don't know if you're able to answer the question. It might be outside of your realm. But I wonder whether or not we should be exercising and expanding all the measures to people in Afghanistan.
Chair, Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association
I don't have a particular response to your specific question. I'm not familiar with the details of what has been set up for the Ukrainian family reunification response.
Chair, Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association
What I will say is, as you have mentioned, that expanding and maximizing the use of all of the available pathways to resettle Afghans in need is something we would support.
NDP
President and Founder, Maria Toorpakai Foundation
I missed the question.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
My quick question was whether or not the government should expand immigration measures to allow for extended family sponsorship applications for Afghanistan.
President and Founder, Maria Toorpakai Foundation
First of all, I want to thank all these governments. They're already doing a lot.
We still have those Afghan refugees in Pakistan. They're staying with us. Their applications are in progress. I think that for those who are stuck, this kind of thing should be sped up, because there are high-profile Afghans who are stuck and whose applications are still in progress and taking a long time. So yes, I think this would be wonderful.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you, Madam Kwan.
On behalf of all members of Parliament and the committee, I want to thank the three witnesses. Your input into this is very important and well taken, so thank you kindly. All the best to you.
Conservative
Conservative
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Before the witnesses are dismissed, I would like to request that Ms. Perez submit in writing to the committee her ideas behind the objective criteria for the framework development. I know that we don't have time here. I guess that's it. That was my question.
Chair, Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association
I can do that.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you.
I'm going to suspend the meeting for a few minutes for the next panel.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
I'm going to call the meeting back to order. We will now welcome the representatives on this panel, the witnesses who are here.
We have, from the Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Khalil Shariff, chief executive officer; from the Centre for Newcomers, Dr. Kelly Ernst, vice-president, vulnerable populations; and from Global Affairs Canada, Reid Sirrs, a former ambassador of Canada to Afghanistan.
Welcome, each of you. You have five minutes to make your opening remarks. Please respect the time.
We'll start with Mr. Shariff.
You have five minutes. Please go ahead.
Khalil Shariff Chief Executive Officer, Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and all of you for inviting me to share some perspectives on the committee's work, based on the Aga Khan development network's extensive and long-standing presence in Afghanistan.
Our work to improve the quality of life of Afghans stretches back 30 years, and our commitment to be present in the country today remains firm and permanent.
Let me begin with some brief background. The Aga Khan Foundation Canada is a Canadian global development agency that has partnered with the Government of Canada and Canadians to improve the quality of life of communities in Asia and Africa for four decades. The foundation itself is part of a global family of agencies known as the Aga Khan Development Network founded by His Highness the Aga Khan. The network operates in over 30 countries and reaches millions of people annually.
Our partnership with Canada in Afghanistan began in 1996 at another urgent time in the country's history. The support of the Government of Canada was critical to our early humanitarian efforts then, and Canada has remained one of our core partners since that time, including through the far-sighted support of Global Affairs Canada, the International Development Research Centre and, notably, thousands of individual Canadians who have contributed as donors, fundraisers, and volunteers, providing essential support over these years.
During this time, we have reached millions of Afghans by enabling strong local organizations; improving the quality of and access to essential services, such as health care and education; advancing the empowerment and equality of women and girls; investing in infrastructure; and increasing economic opportunity.
In all of these activities, we have built on the principle of pluralism, a principle that values Afghanistan's rich diversity and supports the inclusion of all segments of Afghan society. Canada's work to support the equality of women and girls has been a particularly important part of that partnership.
Today, the AKDN's work in Afghanistan ranges from humanitarian response and the provision of essential services to cultural restoration, telecommunications, hospitality, and financial services. The AKDN employees, some 10,000 staff, almost all of whom are Afghans, give it a distinctive reach and scale. In the face of the current humanitarian emergency, our response plan alone aspires to reach some three million Afghans. We operate with a network of international partners and ongoing collaborations with the UN system and its agencies.
This presence and experience has taught us that determined, transparent and inclusive engagement led and driven by Afghans in their communities can and does succeed. At this time of change and uncertainty, our approach is to listen to and support people at the community level to help them realize their aspirations for a better life, coming together to find solutions that are sustainable, acceptable, and deliverable.
Most certainly, the priority now for us today must be to meet urgent life-saving needs. In addition to the distribution of food, cash, and other necessities, we must also urgently invest in agriculture, livelihoods, and small enterprises to stop the downward economic spiral and reduce the need for humanitarian assistance over time. Support to essential services, such as health care and education, especially for women, girls, and other marginalized groups, is likewise critical.
However, even as we meet these urgent needs, we must at the same time build for the future by investing in a wide range of local development efforts, especially by supporting community organizations and the institutions that enable them. By ensuring that the voices of Afghan citizens continue to be heard at the community level, these local organizations can continue to be a positive and constructive force for development, stability and peace throughout the country.
We are ready to work with Canada, as we are today working with other international and local partners to advance this work, but we face significant barriers.
One is the general banking crisis that is restricting funding flows in economic activity in the country. Another is the barrier that is specifically preventing Canada, both the government and other Canadian actors, to mount the kind of response that our values and track record in Afghanistan demand.
Most importantly, Canadian actors need a clear, predictable and enduring framework to ensure that those activities we all agree are paramount are not inadvertently caught by provisions of the Criminal Code regarding anti-terrorist financing or by applicable sanctions.
Therefore, we would encourage the committee to prioritize swift changes in policy and legislation that would facilitate this critical work, just as the UN Security Council and other like-minded partners have now already done.
Let me conclude, Mr. Chairman. Neither the aspirations of ordinary Afghans, nor the solidarity of ordinary Canadians have been disrupted by the changes of the last several months. We are certain that with the right focus and will, Canada can continue to be a positive force, a beacon of hope and confidence, and a significant contributor to an improved quality of life for all Afghans at this difficult time.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you very much, Mr. Shariff.
We'll now move to Dr. Ernst, for five minutes.
Please go ahead.
Dr. Kelly Ernst Vice-President, Vulnerable Populations, Centre for Newcomers
Thank you very much for having me today.
I'll give you a bit of background on what I'm about to say.
I'm here from the Centre for Newcomers in Calgary. We're a large settlement organization with a dedicated refugee response and we have a team of people working on the Afghan response. Our scope, though, is not the immediate arrival. After they arrive and have been here for a few weeks or months, we try to provide support to people. We do that through a collaborative effort with local groups—such as the Calgary East Zone Newcomers Collaborative, which is a collaborative of more than 100 different groups—and with national groups, as well. For example, for LGBT people, we work with private sponsors and the Rainbow Coalition for Refuge across the country.
What I'm about to say is based on feedback from the Afghan community leaders locally, Afghan people themselves whom I've met and had focus groups with, service providers that have now provided services to well over 400 people, and various service partners.
Among the most important issues we're facing are the barriers associated with the differential support services based on immigration type. Those are separated among government-assisted refugees, privately sponsored refugees, and refugee claimants, or those seeking asylum in Canada. All Afghans get different types of services based on their status. It's very false, in our minds, and it really needs to be cleaned up.
Those who get the most support are, obviously, the government-assisted refugees. They get all of the services they wish. Although privately sponsored refugees are eligible for those services, they don't always get the services they need, in our experience, because private volunteers and sponsorship groups don't always know about the services, even within their own communities.
Claimants are not offered English-language or settlement support until they become permanent residents. Of course, asylum seekers who have not started their claim get the least amount of support and have to rely on private people for that support.
The other issue I'd like to raise is that this differential response is, to our minds, not well received by claimants—especially knowing that 100% of Afghan refugee asylum seekers in Canada were accepted by the Immigration and Review Board, yet they have to wait months, if not years, to get the services they need...until they are permanent residents. Often, provincial, municipal and private people are pointed to to provide that support, but that, too, is very differential. Provincial and municipal supports do not equal federal supports, which are provided through IRCC. That differential on supports truly needs to be eliminated.
Equality of service, across all refugee statuses, is extremely important. As one of the last panellists said, a prima facie noting of a refugee as they arrive, regardless of how they arrive, is extremely important. That also extends to what's going on in Afghanistan at the moment. We are also receiving dozens, hundreds, of requests from people from Afghanistan who are either internally displaced or recently displaced outside of Afghanistan, asking to come to Canada. There's very little we can do with them, given the lack of response by IRCC in those areas and private sponsors' inability to respond.
With that said, I know my time is up. I'm happy to answer questions later.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you very much, Dr. Ernst.
Now we will go to former Ambassador of Canada to Afghanistan, Mr. Sirrs.
Please, go ahead for five minutes.
