By Canadian Press

Tories, advocates call on Ottawa to remove bureaucratic hurdles to resettling Afghans

Jul 21, 2022 | 8:49 AM

OTTAWA — Opposition Conservatives are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to extend a special immigration program it set up to bring Afghans trying to flee the Taliban to Canada. 

Tory MP Jasraj Singh Hallan says Ottawa has failed in its moral obligation to help people who assisted Canada with its military mission in Afghanistan and now face reprisals from the Taliban, which seized control of Kabul last year.

Hallan was joined by two Afghans who managed to leave the country and make it Canada 

Saeeq Shajjan, a lawyer, says colleagues have spent 11 months waiting to hear back from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a delay he says is unacceptable. 

Rahima Paiman says there are Afghans hiding in third countries, and women are at particular risk under Taliban rule. 

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Ottawa has pledged to welcome 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada, but Hallan says they face too many bureaucratic hurdles.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2022.

The Canadian Press