Skip to main content

Canada sought use of European Union compound in Kabul for fingerprinting, reneged

Share
OTTAWA -

Canada requested use of the European Union's compound in Kabul to help with tasks such as fingerprinting for those fleeing Afghanistan, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly made the request on Jan. 20, 2022, according to documents obtained through an access-to-information request.

"Minister Joly asked EU High Representative (Josep) Borrell about the possibility for Canada to co-locate with the EU in Kabul, in order to conduct biometric screening from their premises," reads a July 2022 briefing note.

The document says the EU replied in early April 2022, offering space for two Canadian officials in the compound "on the condition that biometric screening be performed in a third location managed by the Government of Canada."

It notes that one month later, senior bureaucrats for Global Affairs Canada "determined that it would be very difficulty to proceed with the EU offer."

That may be because there are issues for Afghans trying to access the Kabul compound since the Taliban takeover.

But as of June 2022, the briefing note states "we are still assessing the legal, duty-of-care and operational implications of this offer," adding there are "significant legal constraints that limit Canada's ability to re-establish any kind of presence in Kabul."

The Department of Global Affairs would not say whether it ended up stationing anybody at the EU compound.

"We do not discuss operational details of our missions abroad for security reasons," spokeswoman Patricia Skinner wrote.

"Canada remains committed to Afghanistan and the Afghan people, and we will continue to do all that we can to support them."

The Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship would not say if Ottawa declined or accepted the offer, or whether it still stands.

"For operational security reasons, we are unable to provide specific information," wrote spokesman Matthew Krupovich.

He said the government's efforts to resettle people fleeing the country have been hindered by entry and exit requirements by both the Taliban and neighbouring countries.

"Canada's lack of military, diplomatic and overall presence in Afghanistan has also presented challenges in how we collect and verify the information of applicants who remain in their country, but Canada continues to explore options."

The EU delegation in Ottawa did not respond to requests for comment.

Last fall, media reports revealed Canada had been in regular talks with the Taliban, starting just weeks after it took over Afghanistan in August 2021.

The Trudeau government insisted it will not recognize the Taliban as the country's government, but said Canadian diplomats joined Western peers in discussions with Taliban officials in Qatar in order to advocate for girls' education.

Some regional experts have proposed that Western allies launch a multi-country representative office in lieu of formal embassies in Afghanistan, to keep track of the human rights situation in the country.

 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2023.

IN DEPTH

Former prime minister Brian Mulroney dies at 84

Former Canadian prime minister and Conservative stalwart Brian Mulroney has died at age 84. Over his impressive career, the passionate and ambitious politician, businessman, husband, father, and grandfather left an unmistakable mark on the country.

Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?

Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

opinion

opinion Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report

It's been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chretien government after it 'broke just about every rule in the book' in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal. In his column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says the book has been broken anew with everything that went on behind the scenes of the 'dreaded' ArriveCan app.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'

The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.

Stay Connected