Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
It's good to see you all again, colleagues. It's a pleasure to have the opportunity to appear before the committee. I have joined you before—not only at the immigration committee, but at the Special Committee on Afghanistan as well—to discuss some of the issues regarding the government's response in terms of the refugee resettlement initiative and trying to provide a second lease on life to some of the world's most vulnerable people.
Our effort in Afghanistan represents one of the most difficult and largest resettlement initiatives in Canadian history. We're doing what we can to help a number of different groups. We are helping people who've served alongside the Canadian Forces and worked with the Government of Canada during our mission in Afghanistan. We are reuniting families for people who've previously been resettled in Canada; and we are helping promote a pathway to Canada for people who are being targeted as a result of who they are, or perhaps of what they contributed.
The challenges associated with this resettlement initiative are unlike any other effort, certainly, that I've been a part of, or, I would suggest, that has taken place in recent history in Canada or most other places in the world. The kinds of challenges we're dealing with range from the chaos that took place during the evacuation as the Taliban closed in on Kabul; the lack of international capacity when it came to refugee resettlement as a result of a number of years where states around the world withdrew from refugee protection during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the lack of a Canadian presence on the ground after the Canadian withdrawal of Canadian Forces. Over the course of the resettlement initiative, there has been a lack of diplomatic presence as well.
Of course, certain continued challenges persist. In particular, there is difficulty in securing safe passage for people who remain inside Afghanistan. I'd remind you that we're dealing with a territory that has been seized by the Taliban, a listed terrorist entity in Canadian law. It can be extraordinarily difficult in the shifting landscape of requirements for people who seek to move throughout and outside of Afghanistan. It presents challenges that are unique to this particular mission.
Despite the intensity of these challenges, there are some successes that we're proud of, though the job is not done. To date, there are approximately 28,000 Afghans who've been successfully resettled in Canada, who have been given that second lease on life. I've had the opportunity to meet a number of them. I'll tell you folks, it's a special experience when you get to join families on the tarmac when a plane arrives. I've watched parents kiss the ground with their kids—the same age as my kids—as they arrive in Canada, because they've finally come to believe that they're safe after the horrific traumas they've suffered.
We're dealing with people who were targeted because they were trying to build a better life for themselves, their families and their community in Afghanistan. They were working as human rights defenders or journalists. They were targeted because of who they were. They were members of the LGBTQ+ community, religious minorities, women leaders and other groups. I often think of women judges who've been seeking to make their way to Canada, who were often responsible for putting members of the Taliban behind bars. They are now persecuted and facing threats of torture or death as a result of their desire to contribute.
I can tell you folks, this is probably one of the things I'm most proud to ever have been involved with. It's one of the most difficult things with which I've ever been involved, but it's the kind of thing that, in my mind, makes the job that we sign up for worth doing.
The opportunity to use my life to contribute to making a difference in my own small way in this role, to protect the lives of others, is something I relish.
I apologize for expressing myself in English. It's a difficult and emotional issue for many people. And yet it's very important to continue to support the most vulnerable of these people. There are now almost 28,000 people who are now safely here in Canada.
This is something I'm proud of. It's something Canadians are proud of. However, challenges remain. There are difficulties for people who are still in Afghanistan. There are difficulties for people in third countries who haven't been able to secure the necessary documents from their current hosts to exit those third countries. Whatever challenges remain, we're not going to waver in our commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees. It's a commitment I'm proud of, but work that we will continue to move our way through until we complete this goal.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I'd be happy to take questions from members of the committee.