NDP Statement on the Second Anniversary of the Fall of Kabul « Canada’s NDP
NDP Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Critic Jenny Kwan and NDP Foreign Affairs and International Development Critic Heather McPherson made the following statement:
Today marks the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Kabul and the rapid deterioration of human and democratic rights in Afghanistan. Canadians have watched with horror as the Taliban have deprived women and girls of their rights and freedoms, restricted their access to education and to work. Moreover, the impact of the food crisis on the population is devastating, with Afghanistan now at the highest risk of famine in a quarter of a century.
While thousands of Afghans and their families put their lives at risk in service to Canada, many remain in grave danger in Afghanistan, and are being hunted down by the Taliban. The government promised to immediately process applications for Afghans who served Canada, yet too many are left behind. To make matters worse, the Liberals are sticking to an arbitrary cap and new applications are no longer being accepted.
The Liberals have a duty of care, but two years later, they have not met this standard. The NDP has been calling on the government to extend and expand the special immigration measures for Afghans and lift the arbitrary cap of 40,000 applicants.
As well, for two years New Democrats urged the Liberals to fix restrictions in Canada’s Criminal Code that prohibited aid to Afghans. While we are thankful that Canadian aid organizations can now return to Afghanistan, we remain concerned by the bureaucratic hurdles they will face because of the Liberal government’s poorly conceived Bill C-41. We salute Canadians seeking to do the life-saving work in Afghanistan and many other parts of the world.
The NDP stands with the Afghan people. We will continue to urge Canada to do everything possible to deliver life-saving assistance so Afghans can live with dignity and ensure the most vulnerable have access to safety.”