Federal Ministers have said that Canada would support as many Canadians and Afghans in escaping from Kabul as possible. However, they warned that the security situation in Afghanistan is bad and getting worse.
The decision was made by many ministers during a recent public briefing to highlight the federal government’s efforts to airlift the vulnerable from Afghanistan as that the Taliban have taken over the affairs of the country.
During the briefing, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said: “Our goal is clear: It is to evacuate as many Canadians and vulnerable Afghans as possible for as long as the security situation will allow, whether in Afghanistan or in a third country for those who manage to leave on their own.”
This statement suggests that the opportunity to evacuate people from Kabul is declining and corroborates remarks made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week.
In his remarks, while campaigning in Victoria, Trudeau said: “Unless the Taliban shift their posture significantly — which is something the international community and Canada are working on — it’s going to be very difficult to get many people out.
“We will get some certainly, but to get many people out, as many as we want, is going to be almost impossible in the coming weeks.”
Afghanistan crisis will be a major issue of discussion when G7 leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meet virtually soon.
The government has identified 6,000 people that are eligible for resettlement in Afghanistan and has revealed that it has processed about 50 percent of those applications.
Also, the government said it had plans to resettle about 20,000 vulnerable Afghans, including women and children, as well as Canadian citizens, and Afghan nationals outside the country.
When responding to questions bordering on whether Canada would consider jerking up its quota of refugees from Afghanistan, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said he was keeping an “open mind” in respect of the number of people the country would help in getting out of Kabul to Canada.
Garneau warned those seeking to leave Afghanistan on a military flight out of Kabul not to risk the perilous journey to the airport with the hope of getting on a Canadian flight unless they have been contacted by Canadian officials that they have a seat on a plane.
Garneau said: “The security situation around the airport has deteriorated.
“The airport is very busy, and there has been violence. The Taliban have established checkpoints along the route to the airport and all people travelling through the city [face danger]. We, recommend that you not go to the airport unless we’ve contacted you for a flight.”
Mendicino revealed that Canada has already organized 12 military flights out of Kabul conveying above 1,100 people to safety, and he promised that the federal government would continue with its operations as long as the situation on the ground allowed.
