Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

Noise in the House

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I will repeat what I just said. Business of the House is to take place in the House and people here want to hear the question and the answer so we all understand what is being said. Therefore, I want to ask all members to respect each other and not shout when someone else is either asking or answering a question.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I only want to add that the rules do not state that people be allowed to hear. Rather, Standing Orders 16 and 18 specifically forbid people from interrupting and speaking disrespectfully. Therefore, the onus of our rules is on the individual to not interrupt or speak. That may be for the purpose of allowing other people to hear, but the rules are violated whenever someone is interrupted or treated disrespectfully.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I thank the hon. member for pointing that out.

The hon. member for Edmonton—Wetaskiwin.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would not have risen on this, but I will because the Liberal whip stood up on it. Precedence is important. I was on the government side for many years and while I was trying to answer questions, I could not hear because the Liberal whip was one of the people yelling at me. The precedent at the time was that sometimes the Speaker would stand to ask people to be quiet, but never once in that time was I given the opportunity to repeat my answer to the question.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am sorry that the previous Speaker did not give the member that opportunity.

Once again, I would like to remind hon. members that we are here trying to do Parliament's business. I want to ensure that everyone can hear each other, both the questions and the answers, so we can all work with information that is well heard and well planned out.

Access by Members to the House of Commons Precinct—Speaker's Ruling

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am now ready to rule on the question of privilege raised on December 6, 2021, by the member for Yorkton—Melville concerning medical exemptions for the COVID‑19 vaccination.

In her intervention, the member alleged that a decision of the House on November 25, 2021, imposed inappropriate conditions on the independence of the House of Commons' nurse in determining whether medical exemptions should be provided to members. She argued that such actions by government set a precedent with regard to political interference in objective decision-making by medical professionals. The member further suggested that parliamentary privileges could be eroded by arbitrary limitations made in this manner at the whim of the government.

The member for Timmins—James Bay intervened to indicate that it was appropriate for the House to make decisions for the benefit of the entire membership, including on the issue of a safe work environment, even if it supersedes certain privacy rights.

On November 25, 2021, the House made a decision allowing hybrid sittings and requiring members attending proceedings of the House in person to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The order also required that a valid medical exemption from vaccination be guided by the Ontario Ministry of Health document entitled “Medical Exemption to COVID-19 Vaccination” and by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

It is therefore difficult for the Chair to understand how the House of Commons' nurse or any other health and safety personnel are working under the imposition of unwarranted conditions caused by this order. The House has the authority to make decisions affecting access to the chamber and once such a decision has been made, it is the Chair's responsibility to see that it is applied appropriately. Given the clear decision of the House, I cannot find that the member's privilege has been breached.

In the view of the Chair, the matter has been decided by the House and accordingly, I find there is no prima facie question of privilege.

I thank all members for their attention.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Special Committee on Afghanistan

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate)]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with the member for Kanata—Carleton.

I rise this afternoon to speak about the brave members of the Canadian Armed Forces and their civilian colleagues on the ground in Kabul who helped coordinate the daring evacuation from Afghanistan this past summer.

I want to speak about this whole-of-government mission and how we worked closely with our allies and partners to bring as many Canadian citizens, permanent residents and Afghans to safety as possible.

First, let me say how grateful I am for the brave men and women of our Canadian Armed Forces. This event was certainly one of the most difficult non-combative evacuation operations ever undertaken by Canadian Armed Forces, and their members stepped up when the world needed them to.

All of us gathered here today have seen the harrowing images of thousands desperate to leave, with a limited number of spaces to get people out, and the CAF members doing their best to evacuate panicked civilians as the security situation disintegrated rapidly around them.

We know that prior to the rapid fall of Kabul to Taliban forces, Global Affairs and IRCC were working around the clock to get Canadian citizens and those vulnerable Afghans who were approved for resettlement in Canada onto flight manifests and out of the country as fast as possible.

With the Taliban now in charge, this was no longer a straightforward process. What used to be a short drive to the airport now took about 12 hours. Streets were clogged. With the security situation getting increasingly dangerous, chaotic and desperate by the hour, Global Affairs and IRCC issued a general call for all eligible evacuees rather than a staggered approach. This was done to ensure that the greatest number of people possible made it onto flights.

At this point, the single-biggest challenge to the evacuation effort was getting people to the airport through all the congestion, the Taliban checkpoints and the sporadic violence. For those who made it to the airport gates, they faced intense crowding, violence, sweltering heat and the reality there was no guarantee one could actually get inside. For those who managed to make it inside, the desperate situation caused fights to break out. We heard about families getting separated from each other in the chaos.

When Canadian Armed Forces evacuation aircraft arrived, they could only be on the ground for a very short window to keep the U.S.-led coalition air bridge functional. Despite all these significant challenges, CAF members still safely escorted large numbers of Canadians, permanent residents, allied citizens and vulnerable Afghans through the Kabul airport.

In total, Canada successfully evacuated approximately 3,700 people. All of us here are extremely proud of the Canadian Armed Forces members who worked under such incredibly dangerous conditions, with support from staff at Global Affairs and IRCC. We thank them again for their courage and compassion in the face of great danger to their own lives.

A lot of this coordination work was carried out from the Canadian embassy in Kabul. I want to recognize Global Affairs staff members for their essential work securing the facility and preparing for evacuation. We began developing our evacuation contingency plans in the spring of 2021. Next, the CAF deployed a strategic advisory team to design plans for a rapid evacuation and possible mission closure if the security situation were to deteriorate.

DND and the CAF had been working closely in support of government and Canadian partners for months as we carefully watched deployments on the ground, and it was those early discussions with our partners at Global Affairs that allowed us to plan well ahead of time for a number of different scenarios, including the potential extraction of personnel from the country by the Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

On July 23, the Government of Canada announced a program to resettle Afghans who had supported Canada's security and development efforts in Afghanistan. Defence team officials worked closely with Global Affairs and IRCC to explore how military personnel and assets could help support this important resettlement program.

By July 30, the government approved a request for assistance that began direct CAF involvement in evacuating Canadian citizens and permanent residents from the country as well Afghan nationals eligible for settlement under IRCC's special immigration measures program.

The first CAF and civilian chartered flights operated by the Government of Canada began transporting evacuees out of Afghanistan by August 4. On August 15, Global Affairs decided to temporarily suspend operations at our embassy in Kabul and all personnel were evacuated. By August 26, the end of the evacuation mission, the CAF had transported approximately 3,700 persons from Kabul in very difficult conditions.

In the aftermath, our departments have continued to do everything they can to support the resettlement of at-risk Afghans. The defence team is working to identify more interpreters who supported the Canadian mission and helped IRCC bring them over. Were also confirming employment records as part of the resettlement efforts.

We supported NATO's Operation Allied Solace and its mission to airlift over 1,000 Afghan contractors and immediate family members from Kuwait and Qatar to temporary camps in Kosovo in Poland. As part of this support, the CAF deployed three members to Kosovo, themselves originally from Afghanistan, to serve as interpreters at the camp.

At NATO's request, Canada had agreed to resettle up to 472 Afghan contractors subject to screening protocol. This is the highest commitment among our NATO allies and it is a commitment we gladly undertake. This pledge is part of our broader commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghans.

In the midst of the chaos in Kabul this summer, there were poignant reminders about why Canadians were there doing our best in a nearly impossible situation. There was an Afghan girl at the airport who was awestruck at the sight of a woman military police officer as she boarded one of our evacuation flights. She asked her dad, “How can a woman be a police officer?” Her father explained that in Canada women could be police officers. Looking up at the soldier, the little girl said that she wanted to be a police officer when she grew up.

There was also a little Afghan boy at the airport who was so greatly admired by one of our Canadian soldiers that he would not leave his side as the solider carried out his work during an evacuation flight. We heard how the solider cared for that boy who was about the same age as his own son, who was waiting for him to return safely home to Canada.

These are but two of what will eventually be thousands of personal stories of Afghan evacuees beginning a new life in Canada. On behalf of the Government of Canada, we welcome them to their new home. For members of the Canadian Armed Forces and all civilians who supported the evacuation effort, Canadians thank them for a job well done.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Madam Speaker, if people listened to the member's speech, they will excuse me for saying that he painted a rosy picture of what was going on at the Kabul airport.

In fact, having dealt with this situation for the better part of a month and a half, some of the correspondence I was getting said that it was literally a “Walking Dead situation” at the airport, thousands trying to get through the gate, some people being shot, others hung up in the barbed wire, and women and children were fainting.

How can the member reconcile that story with what the actual facts on the ground were telling us, that there was complete chaos going on? How does he reconcile that? What this committee is designed to do is to get to the bottom of what happened, to ensure that it never happens again and to look to the future to help Afghanistan nationals come to Canada.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, all day long, I have heard Conservatives talk about how they were not trying to politicize this issue. If the member had just listened to my speech, which he clearly did not, he would know that I was not painting that picture.

Let me reread a quote for him. I said, “For those who made it to the airport gates, they faced intense crowding, violence, sweltering heat and the reality there was no guarantee one could actually get inside.” Does that sound like I am painting a rosy picture?

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to see you in the chair. It is a nice surprise for me this afternoon.

With respect to Afghanistan, there is one issue of particular concern to me, and that is what people think of the sacrifice that our veterans have made in going to the front lines, as well as the plight of the Afghans.

We must ensure transparency, and it is a good idea to establish a committee to shed some light. As parliamentarians, we also have a responsibility to look at the present and the future.

With this in mind, I would like to hear from the member what he personally plans to do to ensure that we learn from our mistakes in this conflict.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, that is a very reasonable question and I appreciate it. We always have to learn from our mistakes in order to do better in the future. I do not have a problem with studying this very important issue and understanding what went right and what went wrong. It is when we start to overpoliticize it and use it as an opportunity to score political points that it becomes an issue for me, which is why, if we look back at everything I have said today on this matter, I have tried to steer clear of being overly partisan with this particular issue.

Do we have an opportunity to learn here? We absolutely do. Should we be studying this issue? We absolutely should, and through studying it in an open and transparent process where we get to understand the facts, we can do better next time.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, I believe we all want to help the Afghans who have been stranded and need to get to safety. There are some measures the Canadian government can undertake, including, for example, waiving the refugee determination requirement, so that people who cannot access the UNHCR offices would be able to get refugee status to get to safety. Another measure would be waiving the requirements for documentation, because the reality is that people cannot access travel documents, visas or passports for that matter.

Would the member work with the NDP on these calls to action for the government, to really put something substantive on the table to help refugees get to safety?

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, with the two examples that were raised by the member, there is an opportunity to look at them and see whether those would be solutions that would improve the situation moving forward, so I certainly would not rule them out. Can I say point-blank at this point that I am supportive? It really depends on the work that any committee, whether it is this special committee or another committee that the issue goes to, does in order to look at those different tools and see how they can best be applied.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am of course moved by the individual stories the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands told, but I have to say that the member for Barrie—Innisfil, and I do not want to make this partisan either, more accurately describes the scenes I have heard of from the airport.

I wonder if the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands can suggest what we can do better now, not what we should have done last summer, but what we can do better now.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Speaker, that would go back to the question from my colleague in the Bloc Québécois.

We should study this issue, in whatever form that takes place, in order to be better prepared for next time and in order to do more now. I have mentioned the commitments we have made in terms of bringing people into Canada, and if there is a way we can do that better through some form of study that can be brought forward, then why would we not do that? I am extremely supportive of looking for—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Resuming debate, the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality.

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Madam Speaker, I have been listening to the concerns and questions from my colleagues throughout the day on both sides of the House about how Canada and the world responded to the upheaval of the fall of Kabul. The difficulties in operating in Afghanistan cannot be underestimated, so I want to respond to the motion today by sharing information about the government's Afghanistan exit strategy.

Since the end of the air bridge evacuation in August, we have helped over 1,400 Canadians, permanent residents and their family members leave the country. As we heard the minister say earlier today, another 520 Afghan refugees are arriving here tomorrow. However, by no means have we ended our consular support in Afghanistan.

Today, nearly four months since the fall of Kabul, a dedicated team of Global Affairs Canada officials continue to support Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Afghanistan who want to leave. Global Affairs Canada is responsible for providing this emergency assistance to Canadians abroad under, of course, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act. This responsibility includes the repatriation or assisted departure of Canadians in distress. In the event of a crisis, Global Affairs Canada activates these tools and strategies in support of Canada's network of diplomatic missions abroad. This allows them to rapidly mobilize, situate resources where they are most needed and directly support the people affected by an emergency.

Global Affairs undertook significant planning and preparedness efforts in the months prior to the fall of Kabul. The department did this to ensure that Canada was ready for all possibilities. These efforts ramped up significantly in July 2021 as the security situation worsened. During this period, Global Affairs convened interdepartmental task force calls, or ITFs. These ITF calls ensure interdepartmental collaboration and common situational awareness among departments.

At the same time as Global Affairs was holding these ITF calls on Afghanistan, similar meetings were taking place across the government of Canada, including at the deputy minister and PCO levels. To ensure maximum situational awareness, Global Affairs also ramped up international liaison activities with like-minded countries. This enabled Canada and its international partners to share information and to work together on consular matters and repatriation efforts. Communicating with Canadian citizens and permanent residents abroad is critically important during an emergency, and we know it can be a lifeline.

At all times during the Afghanistan crisis, Canada was in contact with citizens and permanent residents. Global Affairs proactively developed vital updates and information and shared them widely. The department did so via the registration of Canadians abroad system and through social media and other communications channels. These actions enable Canadians to take difficult decisions regarding their safety and well-being. They were an essential tool for those who chose to leave Afghanistan.

To manage the surge in consular requests, more than 200 Global Affairs employees joined the effort at headquarters and from missions abroad. They worked as emergency responders and emergency contact centre agents throughout August and September. More than a dozen standing rapid deployment team members were deployed to Qatar and Islamabad in support of response efforts. Officers from the Department of National Defence; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency were embedded within the Global Affairs emergency watch and response centre to ensure the most effective response possible. Robust case management teams were established and worked long hours to provide services in support of Canadians, permanent residents and their families. An Afghanistan crisis management team continues to operate today.

Together, these dedicated public servants have done and continue to do their utmost to support the safe passage of Canadians, permanent residents and their family members. The special immigration measures programs continue to be an essential tool to help Afghan nationals who have significant and enduring Canadian connections to resettle here in Canada.

Prior to the evacuation in August, Global Affairs and National Defence worked closely with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to advocate for the need for a program to safeguard vulnerable Afghan nationals who may be at risk due to their work supporting Canadian efforts in Afghanistan. Both before and after the establishment of special immigration measures for Afghanistan, Global Affairs has supported IRCC in its efforts to resettle Afghan nationals here in Canada. Global Affairs support includes acting as a referral agency for incoming Afghans, as well as coordinating and facilitating safe passage with National Defence and international partners. Today, a dedicated team of Global Affairs officers continues to support those who wish to leave Afghanistan.

The current operations have a dual focus. The first is ensuring that those who wish to leave have the documents they need in order to travel, and the second is working with international partners to identify and take advantage of departure opportunities when they become available.

I am proud of the work of our Global Affairs staff. Despite the closing of the air bridge and very challenging conditions on the ground, Global Affairs has helped to repatriate more than 1,400 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families, and the work continues. That means 1,400 women, men and children will not be subject to the repressive policies of the Taliban regime.

I am fully aware that the work is not done; it is far from done. It is important, though, that we learn from the challenges we face together, and I hope all members will agree that we cannot do so by politicizing the men, women and children we brought home. It would be completely inappropriate, of course, to do so.

I believe we can find a way to have these discussions respectfully, in the pursuit of truth. Is the forum being proposed by the opposition today the best place for that discussion? I am not sure it is, but I will certainly carefully consider the arguments being put forward today.

One sure thing is that operations remain under way to help Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their families who wish to leave Afghanistan. Our consular services are dedicated to helping Canadians in distress, whether they are in Afghanistan or anywhere in the world.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Speaker, the member talked about politicizing things, but it is funny that she did not talk about a political election being called, abandoning those who served this country and their families.

I have a very simple question, since the member brought up an exit strategy. Was the exit strategy to call an election, abandoning those who served Canada and avoiding any accountability?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Kanata—Carleton, ON]

Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, we will not stop until the remaining Canadians and vulnerable Afghans who supported our work in Afghanistan and who wish to leave are able to depart. We are there with all in the Afghan Canadian community who worry about their relatives, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards that goal.

We should also take a moment to thank neighbouring countries for their support in welcoming refugees. We continue to work very closely with our allies and countries in the region to help get as many people out as possible. This is a whole-of-government effort, and together we will not stop until we achieve that.

[Luc Desilets, Bloc, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Madam Speaker, on the one hand, I find our Liberal colleague's take on the evacuation of Afghans surprisingly optimistic for what I would consider a dismal failure. A mere 3,700 people were able to leave Afghanistan, when the government's goal was to bring in 40,000. At this rate, given how much time has passed since August, it will take three years and nine months to achieve that.

On the other hand, if I were military, I do not know what I would think of my government. What are my colleague's thoughts on that?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Kanata—Carleton, ON]

Madam Speaker, we are working tirelessly to stay in contact with and support those who remain in Afghanistan and who wish to come to Canada. IRCC continues to process applications for Afghan refugees day and night, and we have mobilized our entire global network to process visas and issue them on an urgent basis. To date, IRCC has approved applications for more than 9,500 persons under special immigration measures to resettle Afghan nationals who assisted the Canadian government, along with their family members.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Speaker, I met with an individual who told me this situation. They have family members in Afghanistan who worked for the previous government in the area of biometrics. After the Taliban took over, it visited workers in those departments and tried to force them to give them access to that biometrics information. It wanted to see both who was in the system, so as to target them, and those who could be erased, as in the terrorists it could protect.

The family member is very concerned about the safety of their loved ones. In fact, their loved one's co-worker was visited by the Taliban. Subsequently, when they refused to provide the information or access to the biometrics, they were killed.

That is the reality of what they are faced with. For an individual with loved ones in Afghanistan in those situations, what can the government provide or offer in support of those family members at risk?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Kanata—Carleton, ON]

Madam Speaker, we have been very clear that safe passage must continue to be allowed for all foreign nationals and Afghans with travel authorizations from allied countries. Afghans who wish to leave must be allowed to do so safely, but also humanitarian assistance must be allowed to reach all those who need it through air and land borders.

This is a clear message that Canada and over 100 allies have conveyed to the Taliban, and we will continue to do so.

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Barrie—Innisfil.

The Taliban regime is known for its brutality, human rights violations and ruthless killings. For months now, we have been hearing from our men and women in uniform about the imminent dangers to those who fought alongside them in Afghanistan and that their lives are at risk. Thousands of Afghan refugees remain stranded in Afghanistan and surrounding countries, but the Liberal government has yet to announce the timeline or a plan for resettling all 40,000 refugees it promised to bring to Canada.

These brave individuals supported our military heroes in Afghanistan during their darkest times. The least we can do is help make sure they are safe. Despite the deteriorating situation, and the life-threatening conditions these refugees are living in, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands. In the four months that have passed since Kabul fell, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has failed to deliver on the promise made by the government to Afghans fleeing the Taliban regime.

The inaction of the Liberals on this issue is inexcusable. NGOs, experts and veterans all warned the government months before Afghanistan fell that urgent action was needed to help Afghan interpreters, support staff and their families. The government ignored these warnings and instead called an unnecessary election.

The government had months to prepare for the refugee crisis in Afghanistan. It knew vulnerable Afghan refugees needed help before the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. The Liberal-made backlogs have left refugees in the dark. Veterans and members of NGOs have had to step up and become the last hope for many Afghans stuck in limbo, a limbo created by the government.

Not only did the government fail to get Canadians, interpreters, support staff and their families out of Afghanistan as the country fell to the Taliban, it also refused to continue to fund their safe houses. Safe houses have been protecting religious minorities and women as the country faces growing economic and food crises. These brave men and women continue to be forced to hide from the Taliban.

In addition to the government's complete indifference, there was a serious government data leak that exposed many Afghans who had applied for visas here in Canada. It occurred shortly after the Liberals promised to bring in 40,000 Afghans threatened with Taliban reprisals because of their previous work as rights advocates, journalists, members of the judiciary, or because they belong to religious and ethnic minorities targeted by these terrorists.

The recent data breach at IRCC continues to threaten the lives of several hundred vulnerable Afghans seeking refuge from the Taliban. The ramifications of this inexcusable mistake will have life-threatening consequences, and the government must take immediate action to address this unacceptable error.

We heard from Canadians who are worried about their loved ones. I have met with many of them in my riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, and they continue to hear of the Taliban using phone and Internet surveillance to track down, and in some cases kill, perceived enemies and religious minorities in Afghanistan.

I am standing here today to ensure the government shows some accountability because further mistakes of this nature, or delays in bringing Afghan refugees to Canada, could have grave consequences for those whose help we once needed, and they desperately need our help now. Afghan interpreters, embassy staff and their families are now being hunted down by the Taliban because they put themselves in harm's way to help our country. Extremist and terrorist groups are making it difficult for refugees to escape on foot through rural Afghanistan to countries such as Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Liberal government has brought to Canada less than 10% of the number of Afghan refugees that it had promised it would bring during the election. Faced with the prospect of life or death, these brave Afghans cannot afford more incompetence and red tape from the Liberal government.

Canadians need to know that safeguards are in place to protect those who fought alongside our country in Afghanistan. We must examine what contingency plans Canada had in place for evacuations of Canadians, and we need to ensure that real efforts are being made to bring Afghan interpreters and others who helped the Canadian Armed Forces in that region to Canada.

The fact that those who served alongside our men and women in uniform were left behind in Afghanistan is a stain on our country. This is why Conservatives are calling for a special committee to review and analyze the inaction of the Liberal government on this issue and make recommendations on how Canada can quickly get these Afghan interpreters, support staff and families to Canada. This committee is not just about looking back. It is also about looking forward and making an actual plan to help them.

I cannot speak about Afghanistan refugees without thinking about and acknowledging the heroic work by my dear friend and former Alberta minister Manmeet Singh Bhullar. When he heard of the plight of religious minorities in Afghanistan, such as Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities, he worked day and night to try to get them here to Canada as refugees.

Manmeet was killed in a tragic accident in 2015. His dream of bringing these religious minorities to Canada lives on through the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation and organizations such as the World Sikh Organization, where hundreds of Canadians have collected funds to support applications to bring refugees here to Canada. Unfortunately, much like with the issue with interpreters, contractors, their families and those who supported Canadians, there is little progress. There is no timeline, and there is no clear plan to bring them here.

Religious minorities, women's rights leaders and democratic activists continue to be forced into hiding from the Taliban. They need our help. Any attempt by the government to cover up their failures in Afghanistan by using security concerns as an excuse will not be acceptable. The requested documents will be subject to a thorough process that will protect Canada and its allies from publicly releasing potentially sensitive security information.

Words without action or a plan are useless. As the Taliban's grasp on Afghanistan tightens, and its hunt for remaining allies continues, now is the time for action. Lives are at risk. We need real answers, followed by real action. Our friends in Afghanistan and their loved ones depend on it.