Ottawa, ON – Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative Shadow Minister for Immigration Refugees and Citizenship, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, call on Minister Fraser and the IRCC to issue urgently needed single-use travel documents to Afghans who worked with Canada and who are now fleeing the Taliban:

 

“The revelations that came out of the Special Committee on Afghanistan last night, and tragic personal stories reported by media, underscore the crisis Afghans are facing under Taliban rule. People are being tortured and killed while waiting to come to Canada.

 

“While this crisis unfolded, rather than focus all of Canada’s efforts on evacuating as many Afghans as possible, Justin Trudeau went ahead with his unnecessary election. Months later, the Trudeau government is still dragging its feet in getting Afghans and their families left behind safely to Canada.

 

“IRCC still requires applicants to provide biometric data before being issued travel documents, something impossible to do within Afghanistan itself, forcing individuals and their families to travel to third countries such as Pakistan.

 

“Conservatives have heard firsthand from those fleeing Afghanistan at the Special Committee the value a single-use travel document would have. The ability to provide travel documents indicating the intention to travel to Canada while travelling through third-party countries would help secure entry into these countries and expedite the process immensely while still allowing for reasonable security concerns to be met.

 

“Urgent action is needed on behalf of the government to do whatever is necessary to get as many Afghans as possible out of Taliban controlled Afghanistan. Delays, red tape, and unreasonable requirements has made this process untenable. The time for bureaucratic excuses has long past, Conservatives will continue to advocate for those Afghan interpreters, support staff, and their families desperate to flee the Taliban, and we will hold this government to account for their handling of this tragic situation.”