Former Afghan interpreters plead for Canada to help families
Former Afghan interpreters now living in Canada are pleading for the federal government to help extended family members stuck in Afghanistan as the Taliban continues its march across the country.
The former interpreters are among about 800 Afghans resettled under two different programs between 2008 and 2012 who say their previous work with Canada has left parents and siblings back home at risk of Taliban reprisals.
"If they cannot get their hands on you, they will get your brother, they will get your sister, they will get your parents to punish you wherever you are because they cannot get their hands on you," said Khan, who arrived in Canada in 2012. His full name is not being disclosed to protect his family's safety.
The Liberal government announced two weeks ago that it would expedite the resettlement of possibly thousands of Afghans who worked with Canada as interpreters, cultural advisers and support staff since 2001, as well as their families.
But the effort has been plagued by questions and controversy, including whether the extended families of those like Khan's who previously came to Canada are eligible for assistance.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino acknowledged during a news conference last month the threat the Taliban poses to the families of interpreters already resettled in Canada, and invited anyone who believed their relatives could be eligible for help to contact his office.
Khan said he did reach out to Mendicino's office to see about helping his parents and siblings but was directed to a bureaucrat at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
"I called the IRCC," Khan said. "They were like: `We don't have any details regarding this. So, if we don't have anything, we can't give you anything. This is how far I went."
There are also concerns that the government is taking a case-by-case approach to applications rather than laying out specific criteria to ensure everyone knows who is eligible for resettlement, and why.
"We don't want to be individual cases," said Noori, another former interpreter who fled for Canada under a previous program and is now trying to get his parents and nine siblings out of Afghanistan. "We want a collective policy for all of us."
Mendicino's office said Sunday the government is taking "an inclusive approach" to deciding who will be allowed to come to Canada.
"We have also broadened the definition of family to be more inclusive and compassionate to include de facto dependents (who may or may not be related) and who do not otherwise meet the definition of family under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act," spokeswoman Emilie Savard said in an email.
"Lives hang in the balance, which is why we're taking action to support the Afghans who supported Canada, and offer them a future in this country. Canada will do the right thing for those who did so much for us."
Several former interpreters are nonetheless planning a rally on Parliament Hill on Tuesday to draw attention to their cause and pressure the government into helping their extended family members.
A similar rally was held in Vancouver last week, which organizers said drew dozens of former interpreters, Canadian military veterans and family members who are worried about friends and loved ones back in Afghanistan.
"In Afghanistan, if you are employed by someone like the Canadian Forces, then your whole family is in danger because of you," Noori said. "If the terrorists cannot reach you to harm you, they can harm you in another way by killing your father, your brother."
Those concerns have only grown in intensity as the Taliban has continued to capture large swaths of territory following the sudden withdrawal of thousands of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in recent weeks.
The fact the U.S. over the weekend welcomed its first planeload of former interpreters onto American soil has also ratcheted up the frustration and confusion surrounding Canada's own efforts.
That confusion was exacerbated last week by word anyone wanting to apply had only 72 hours. That narrow window was later retracted following an outcry from former interpreters and veterans.
Retired corporal Tim Laidler, who is now executive director of the Institute for Veterans Education and Transition at the University of British Columbia, said the lack of information and clarity has left people in Canada and Afghanistan unsure what to do.
"This is a crisis, there's people's lives at risk and there's no time for half-baked plans," said Laidler, who ran for the Conservatives in the 2015 federal election.
"If you're going to say `Contact my office,' you need to have a plan and the staff in place to actually follow through on that. This confusion is causing people to lose faith in the process and the system, and ultimately I think it's going to cost lives."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2021.
IN DEPTH
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
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.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Local Spotlight
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly on a mission: N.S. student collecting books about women in sport for school library
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
'Why not do it together?': Lifelong friends take part in 'brosectomy' in Vancouver
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.