Citizenship and Immigration Committee on March 29th, 2023

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Minister, in my final question to you in the last round, you said that you were not yet Minister of National Defence at the time of the discussions. I think we misunderstood each other, because—

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Yes, I hadn't quite understood the question.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Okay.

Actually, you are appointed to this position in October 2021 and we started talking very intensely about the issue of humanitarian assistance on the ground in February. Through your discussions with the various government departments, I imagine that you were aware of the NGO issue; because of Canada's Criminal Code, they could not do their work on the ground.

Can you tell me quickly if you were aware of the situation?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Yes, of course I was.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Perfect.

We were told that there were many discussions between the various departments.

In December 2021, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 2615, which called on the countries involved to amend their criminal codes to allow humanitarian organizations to do their work. Yes, despite their good understanding of the situation on the ground, Canadian NGOs were unable to do their work due to Canada's Criminal Code. After that resolution was adopted, the government took 15 months to come up with a solution. It's 82 pages long. The solution has been there all along if it's there today. And yet, the government is unable to tell us why it took so long.

The Bloc Québécois will support the bill. We will try to improve it quickly so that it can be passed quickly as well.

However, can anyone in the government explain to me why it took so long, when the solution was there from the start, because nothing about the situation has changed since then?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Thank you very much for this question. I now understand your question.

First of all, I'd like to say that my colleagues have worked very hard to balance two things: providing this humanitarian assistance and making sure that we comply with the Anti‑terrorism Act—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Minister, I'm truly sorry to interrupt, but I don't have much time.

I don't want you to tell me about balance and all that. I know the bill. I want to know why it took so long. That's the only question. No one can answer me. I want to know why, people want to know why, humanitarian organizations want to know why, Afghans on the ground in Afghanistan right now want to know why this government has been so slow to respond to a problem that's been known for very long time. That's the only question I want answered, Madam Minister.

Thank you very much.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I understand the question. As I said, my colleagues worked very hard to strike a balance between two things: First, how can we deliver this humanitarian assistance and second—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, but your time is up.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

…how can we comply with the Anti-terrorism Act?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you. The time is up.

We will now proceed to Ms. Kwan for two and a half minutes.

Ms. Kwan, go ahead, please.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

According to an ATIP response, between August 2021 and June 2022, 9,512 DND applications were received. On that basis, what we just heard is that 4,498 files have now been processed. That's about half of the applications that have been received or confirmed by DND. We are now reaching that 18,000 number. We're nearing the end of them. That means there's no more room to add more people, when half of the files have not yet been processed.

On this basis, we understand that these individuals are people who served Canada, who put their lives at risk, who put their loved ones' lives at risk and who are now being hunted down. Does it make sense to the minister that the government has put in place this arbitrary cap of 18,000?

Where did this 18,000 cap come from, and does that reflect the actual number of people who served Canada?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I look at the 40,000 number, which is the overall number of vulnerable Afghans we want to bring to Canada—

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I'm sorry, Minister, but I'm going to interrupt for a second. I'm going to be very specific. I'm now going to be talking specifically about people who served Canada, and in this instance, who served DND. We're talking about them and not about other categories.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

Okay. I understand.

Our role in this process is to support IRCC. IRCC comes forward with, for example, the special immigration measures program for Afghan nationals and their families who assisted the Government of Canada, and DND supports them in the execution of that program where possible.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you, Minister. I appreciate that, but you are the minister and these are people who served CAF, who served Canada. In many ways, they are extended family members of Canada's military. Do you not think that Canada should extend that 18,000 to bring all of the people who are at risk to Canada?

Until that's done, our job is not done. Would the minister agree with that?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

We are working really hard to reach this ambitious target. We have made significant progress on meeting it, and reaching the goal quickly and safely is going to be the top priority.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you, Minister, but you have already reached that goal of 18,000. Yes, we need to bring them here, but for all those who have been left behind.... At least half of the applications have not even been processed, and that's not accounting for the people who never got the referral, Madam Minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, Ms. Kwan, but your time is up.

Thank you, Ms. Kwan.

We will proceed to Mr. Bezan for five minutes.

Please begin.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to pick up where I left off. We're talking about the most vulnerable and targeted Afghans who were left behind—those who served with the Canadian Armed Forces. They empowered us. They enabled us. They kept us safe. They worked with our provincial reconstruction teams, and they were more than just local contractors. They became part of the family, and our veterans and those who are currently serving care deeply about them.

We know that you're coming up on the 18,000 limit. We know that the goal is to get to 40,000, and there are a lot of Afghans easily reached as refugees who are already out of harm's way. I think what Canadians want to know, what members of the armed forces want to know and what our veterans who served alongside them—many of whom are suffering greatly because they're still in contact with them—want to know is when we are going to invite the rest of those who have been vetted and accepted to join us here in Canada.

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

I'll begin by saying thank you for the question.

Our 40,000 number is one of the highest per capita targets in the world—

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

That's fine, and I think that's great, Minister—

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

—and we are focused on vulnerable Afghans. We are focused on doing this evacuation and continuing to bring Afghan nationals through as quickly as possible. It is a priority for IRCC, and DND is assisting wherever and however possible.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

We know for a fact that those who served with our forces.... Even when we talk about the language and culture advisers, who are Canadian Afghans who went back, there are over 40 of them. They have over 1,000 family members back there who also want to come. We know they're being targeted, along with those who were interpreters and their families, by the Taliban. They're being arrested, interrogated, tortured and executed.

Are we going to protect those people? Are we going to make sure they get a chance to come to Canada and be safe?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville, ON]

The scenario you are pointing to is deeply disconcerting, and we are working to support IRCC's policy to facilitate the reunification of former advisers and vulnerable Afghans and members of their extended families, in fact. We are validating applications when and as requested by IRCC, and IRCC is really best placed to speak to the specific—