OTTAWA -- The government announced Friday it secured 500 seats on a U.S. plane, which has already extracted individuals fleeing the turmoil in Afghanistan.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino made the announcement a day after Canada said its military evacuation mission had ceased, with the last Canadian plane having left the Kabul airport tarmac Thursday.
“Even though our military have now concluded the evacuation, we are continuing to work tirelessly with our allies and our partners in the region to pursue every option to get the people we need to get out of Afghanistan,” he said while providing an update on Canada’s efforts to support Afghan and Canadian nationals who remain in the country.
“Yesterday we secured approximately 500 seats on an American airlift and they are now safely out of Kabul.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau later clarified that the evacuated individuals were both Canadian and Afghan nationals, and said that Canada had previously reserved space on planes for those requested by allies.
“It really has been a group effort to do this. At this point, in the operations that are in place at the moment in Kabul airport, the effort right now is to wrap things up and to bring out those who are still there -- primarily marines and British soldiers,” he said Friday taking questions from reporters.
Mendicino added that the government will continue to push the U.S. to evacuate more.
Officials said yesterday that Canada has evacuated approximately 3,700 individuals to date, which includes 2,000 Afghans. Compared to other NATO countries, Canada sits behind Germany and Italy regarding the total number of refugees withdrawn by a member state.
Canada’s special immigration pathway remains open to Afghan nationals, and their families, who assisted the Canadian military during their mission in Afghanistan.
Mendicino said visas will remain valid among those who haven’t yet fled and that the government continues to process “applications around the clock.”
He also noted that the government will waive application fees for: Afghans with a valid confirmation of permanent residence who are outside of Canada, but who can’t get a passport or travel document; Afghans already in Canada who are seeking an extension or restoration of their temporary residence status; and Canadian citizens, permanent residents and families in Afghanistan who are in a third country en route to Canada.
Asked what advice they’re giving to people who remain trapped, Garneau said because they’re in the “final transition” of phase one of the operation, they’re asking that individuals “stay in place” at the moment to see how the situation unfolds, but if they can make it to a “third country” diplomats may be able to help.
He also said negotiations are underway with the Taliban, which seized control of the country after the U.S. began withdrawing troops, about resuming regular flights out of the Kabul airport so that those who want to leave still can in the coming months.
Garneau said negotiations are underway with the Taliban, which seized control of the country after the U.S. began withdrawing troops, about resuming regular flights out of the Kabul airport so that those who want to leave still can in the coming months.
“We don’t know whether that will happen or when it will happen but the argument is being presented that it’s in the advantage of the country to have an open airport because it’s a landlocked country,” he said.
David Sproul, Canada’s envoy to Afghanistan, is in Doha, Qatar to engage with allies and regional partners on the ground while representing Canada’s point of view in talks, Garneau noted.
Meanwhile, International Development Minister Karina Gould laid out steps being made by the government to meet humanitarian needs locally.
“We have very experienced humanitarian partners who will remain on the ground to help deliver much-needed humanitarian assistance, naturally their current focus is on ensuring the safety and security of their own employees as they continue to carry out this important work,” she said.
Gould said upholding women’s rights across Afghanistan – a key pillar of the 20-year mission there – is a top concern for the government.
“We are deeply, deeply disturbed and concerned by the fact the Taliban is back in control in Afghanistan and what that means for women. We have been very clear that women’s rights is a red line for us and it’s something that I’ve spoke to all our G7 counterparts on,” she said.
On Thursday, Global Affairs Canada issued a press release stating that Canada would send $50 million to help groups, including the World Food Programme and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, deliver support to Afghans in need.
Each minister reflected on the suicide attack at the Kabul airport on Thursday that killed more than 100 Afghans and 13 U.S. military personnel.
