Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to, first and foremost, welcome Minister Sajjan to our committee and thank him for taking the time to be with us today.
Minister Sajjan, I had the honour to welcome many Afghan Sikh refugees a few weeks ago at the airport, including little Tanveer Kaur, who was extremely energetic and playful and looking forward to her childhood experiences in Canada, even after a lengthy flight. It was a moment that I will remember forever.
I know you have working closely with the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation in their work to settle Afghan, Sikh and Hindu refugees over many, many years. Thank you for your hard work on this incredibly important initiative. I saw first-hand what it meant to the families arriving in Canada. Huge kudos to the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation for their tireless work in bringing the community together to welcome so many families from Afghanistan to a new and prosperous life here in Canada.
Minister, in your opening remarks, you mentioned the inequality towards women and girls and how truly disturbing that is. Many of us on this committee saw the news out of Afghanistan just a few weeks ago that the Taliban will not allow women and girls to go to school after the sixth grade. This is extremely disheartening and needs to change.
Speaking of women and girls, Minister, through the chair, can you please tell us what Canada is doing to support women's education within Afghanistan?