Afghanistan Committee on April 11th, 2022

[Ghulam Faizi]

Since the time is limited, IRCC can accommodate our families in a third country and then provide them charter flights from a third country, which is very clear. We share the pathway with them, but they just need to take action on this one.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you very much, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

Now we will move on to the honourable member from the NDP, Madam Jenny Kwan, for six minutes.

Please go ahead.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to all of the former interpreters from Afghanistan for presenting today. I actually consider you part of the Canadian military. There is no question that we need to thank you for your service. Now it is the Canadian government's responsibility to make sure that your loved ones are brought here to Canada safely.

I just want to follow up on the question with respect to documentation. If the Canadian government issued your family members what is officially called a “single journey travel document”, and they had that document, would they be able to utilize that document to go to Pakistan and then get on a flight to come to Canada safely?

I'd like to ask that question to each of you. I'll ask you to give me a brief answer because I have a follow-up question following that. I'll start with Mr. Faizi.

[Ghulam Faizi]

Yes, it will be easy for our families. They will not go to the Taliban to ask for a passport or a third party to get Pakistan visas. They can travel to Pakistan, and after the process they can travel to Canada with the single journey travel document.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you.

Is it the same answer from Mr. Shoaib?

Then I will go to Mr. Khan.

[Ahmad Shoaib]

Yes. If we get the single journey travel document, we will have hope because we will know it's been confirmed that we're going to Canada, and we will do our 100 per cent to make our way to a third country because now we know we are going to Canada and we are being reunited with our family members.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you.

Mr. Khan.

[Hameed Khan]

Yes, it's a very important question. I think the single document to cross into Pakistan is the main focal point because, as far as documentation goes, we have provided all of the information that IRCC wanted. Now where we're stuck is moving families from Afghanistan into Pakistan. Once they're in Pakistan.... Canada has brought people in under the same program with no passports and no ID cards, the families of staff who worked with the Canadian embassy. If you can do it there, you can do it for our families.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

This is the essence of the question. The Canadian government has made that option available for Ukrainian nationals. Are you asking the Canadian government to treat you with the same special immigration measures they have given to Ukrainian nationals? I'd like just a quick yes or no answer from the three of you, in the reverse order.

Mr. Khan.

[Hameed Khan]

Yes, definitely.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Mr. Shoaib.

[Ahmad Shoaib]

If being human matters for Canada, yes, for sure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Mr. Faizi.

[Ghulam Faizi]

Yes.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you.

Now your problem also is this. There are over 300 families for which applications have been made, and only 35% of them have received a file number, a UCI number, or a G number, and those were for the applications that were submitted prior to January 12. For applications submitted after January 12, 65% of the 300 applications, none of those has even received a response. There have been no file numbers, no G numbers. Is that correct?

[Ghulam Faizi]

That is correct.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Your problem is this. When you bring this up with IRCC, or at least when I bring these kinds of issues up with IRCC, they say that they can't help those families because they don't have a file number. Without a file number you cannot get a single journey travel document. Is that correct?

[Ghulam Faizi]

That is correct.

Also, if they're not going to assign or open our applications, who will assign this PIN number to our application? They should do their job and put some officers on our applications, which they promised would be done within two weeks. It's been more than 100 days now.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

The immigration committee actually passed a motion calling on the government to treat others in regions of conflict with the same measures that have been afforded to Ukrainian nationals, and also for the government to waive the refugee determination requirement. Is this what you're asking for from the Minister of Immigration?

Mr. Faizi.

[Ghulam Faizi]

Yes, we are asking for this. Also, they have made a new obstacle, as I mentioned in my speech. They say that the RAP program will not be available to families or extended families. My question is, when they come to Canada if they want to rent a house, they are asked for income support or income proof. Our families will have zero income support. Where will they live? They should support our families with the RAP program as they do for the rest of the refugee programs.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

In other words, you're basically just asking the Canadian government to treat you equally, the way it does with others.

[Ghulam Faizi]

We're asking them to treat us equally and fairly, and to do their moral obligation. We supported the Canadian soldier missions. We put our families at risk from the Taliban because of our relationship with the Canadian soldiers.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you very much, Madam Kwan. I appreciate your time.

Now we will go to the second round of questioning. I would like to welcome Mr. O'Toole to the committee.

I welcome you, the honourable Mr. O'Toole, to take your spot for five minutes.

Please go ahead.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to start off with two things.

I'd like to speak directly to you, Mr. Faizi, Mr. Khan and Mr. Shoaib, and say two things.

First, thank you for your service alongside our men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, our aid workers, our diplomats and our presence in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014, the largest mission Canada has ever engaged in beyond our shores. You were part of that mission and, as Ms. Kwan said, you were part of our Canadian Armed Forces to make sure that we could have interpretation and cultural outreach and do the work we did.

The second thing I want to say is this. I want to apologize on behalf of Canada. We have failed interpreters and many contractors going back many years. It's been horrible watching the fall of Kabul, the scramble and, in your words, Mr. Khan, to listen to your “cries” and to see inaction. It's unacceptable, I think, to all parties and all parliamentarians, past and present, so I offer my apologies.

The intention of this committee is to find out how we failed, where we dropped the ball and how we can remedy the situation and quickly provide as much help as possible to the people who have been left behind.

My question to you, Mr. Faizi, is this. You would have come in under the 2009 program. You arrived in 2011. That program required only 12 months of cumulative service as an employee or contractor, an injury or individualized risk and some sort of positive recommendation or documentation. Many interpreters left service with commendations, certificates, thank yous and pay confirmations. Those documents obviously were used by you. Are those still readily available—a certificate of thanks, for example—with many of the interpreters and their families still on the ground in Afghanistan?

[Ghulam Faizi]

Thank you, Mr. O'Toole.

Some are available with the families and some we brought with us as records we still have here. However, some have been burned by the families, as you may be aware.

Can you hear me?