CIMM – Minister’s Opening Statement – February 8, 2023

Remarks for the Hon. Sean Fraser Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM)

Government Response to the Report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan (AFGH)

Ottawa, Ontario

February 8, 2023

485 words (5 mins)

Introduction

Thank you, Chair.

I want to begin by recognizing the tragic loss of former Afghan MP Mursal Nabizada, who bravely fought for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. The death of women and girls who have stood up for their rights and freedoms is why we are working to help women leaders and their families, as well as other vulnerable people in Afghanistan, as quickly as possible.

Partnerships

A key challenge is that many Afghans who are still in need of protection, including women leaders, are still in Afghanistan and leaving the country continues to be very difficult and dangerous because of Taliban rule. We are working with a wide range of partners, including regional and like-minded governments, NGOs, and referral organizations to secure safe passage for Afghans eligible for Canada’s immigration programs.

For example, we are working with organizations like Veterans Transition Network (VTN) and Aman LaraFootnote 1, the latter specifically created by Canadian veterans, former interpreters and volunteers, to help Afghans come to Canada.

The United States has been a key partner in our response to the crisis. In cooperating with the U.S., Canada has committed to resettling thousands of vulnerable Afghans with more to come, including supporting their passage from the U.S. and other third countries to CanadaFootnote 2.

With our partners, we are supporting the movement of Afghans to neighboring countries, where we bolstered biometrics, medical and security screening capacity. Once processed, we have chartered flights to resettle clients from these neighboring countries, including 22 flights from Pakistan and 16 from Tajikistan so far.

We are also considering legislative options to address the call for exemptions for Canadian organizations to conduct humanitarian and other essential activities in regions.

Canadian humanitarian organizations face potential terrorism financing offences under the current legislation, as noted in the Special Committee’s reportFootnote 3.

Our strong partnerships continue to help Afghan find safety in Canada.

We are working with other departments to review lessons learned,  as well as recommendations from the Special Committee on Afghanistan, to identify gaps, and improve our response to this and other crises.

Conclusion

In closing, Chair, I want to emphasize that we will continue to process as many clients as possible in Afghanistan and support them once they are in a third country. I want to be clear: this effort is ongoing and challenging, but we are using all options at our disposal to address these challenges.

We’re proud that we’ve been able to resettle nearly 28,000 AfghansFootnote 4, and we remain committed to resettling at least 40,000 by the end of 2023.

As Afghans arrive in Canada, I know that our communities will continue to welcome them, so they may thrive in their new homes.

Thank you. I look forward to answering the Committee’s questions.

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