Evidence of meeting #59 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was letter.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:55 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
They were advocates and organizations.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Okay. They were advocates and organizations.
Do you have a list of the advocates and organizations that received these facilitation letters from you that you can share with the committee?
April 19th, 2023 / 4:55 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
Yes. It's a small list. I can tell you right now.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
I think we will ask you to submit that to the committee, because there might be groups involved that will be put in jeopardy. I don't want to do that.
What is your understanding of these facilitation letters? What were they supposed to do, from your understanding?
4:55 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
They were supposed to help people get to the airport and, when they got to the airport, to then get access, through the soldiers guarding the airport, and be processed, hopefully, for evacuation. That's what the letter says.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
It was to get them through to the checkpoint and then, hopefully, onto a plane for evacuation.
5 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
There's some processing that must have gone on for getting through the line.
5 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
I assume so, yes. Ultimately, your understanding is that it would get them out of Afghanistan to safety.
5 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Okay, got it.
Was this exchange with George Young that was copied to GAC—I think you said Mr. Jungic—done through your parliamentary email, or was it done through your private email?
5 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
It was done through my parliamentary email.
5 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
With regard to Mr. Jungic, who was engaged by GAC and was copied on this letter, do you know what his position was at the time?
5 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
He sent an email to me introducing himself on August 24, and he said he was a policy adviser for Minister Garneau.
5 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you.
With respect to the period in which this was done, do you know if the people you assisted were evacuated under Operation Safe Haven?
5 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
I do not.
They were evacuated in a number of ways. In truth, they were evacuated by a number of countries. We had situations where they got in with our assistance but the Australians helped them, or they ended up in the U.K.
5 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
These were individuals who were seeking safety through the humanitarian stream and not through the stream where they served Canada. Do I understand that correctly, or is it both?
5 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
It's both.
In terms of serving Canada, for the most part, these are women. These are women working in Canadian-funded non-governmental organizations, and some young activists, male and female, working in some of those organizations with funding from Canada.
5 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
As to the people who received this letter, I read in the media that many of them are still stuck and unable, ultimately, to get to Canada for safety. What is their understanding of what that letter meant? Do you know?
5 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
I can't speak to their understanding. I can certainly note for you that there is an application for a judicial review of IRCC and the Government of Canada by five Afghans at extreme risk, whose lawyers are arguing that the letter—
5 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Got it. Yes, I am aware.
In your testimony, you indicated that the former defence minister, Minister Sajjan, was copied on the correspondence. Can you explain clearly what he was copied on and what he was advised on?
5 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
I could table it. It's a lot of emails. I have copies.
5 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
I think it would be very helpful to table it.
Since you received this authorization and believe you had authorization to act accordingly, who within government knew, who within government ministries knew and which ministers, more to the point? I don't believe that chiefs of staff act on their own without the authorization of their political master.
If you have correspondence to indicate that ministers were aware and knew this was all going on at the same time, that would be a pertinent piece of documentation we need to have—
5 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
I'm sorry for interrupting, Ms. Kwan, but your time is up.
We will now proceed to Ms. Rempel Garner for five minutes.
Ms. Rempel Garner, please begin.
5 p.m.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you, Chair.
Senator McPhedran, earlier in your testimony, in answer to a question from me and somewhat to Ms. Kwan, you stated that the letters weren't meant to allow people access to Canada. Is that your understanding?
5 p.m.
Senator, Manitoba, not affiliated
Yes. They were to get them to the airport and hopefully get them out.