Ottawa owes Afghans clearer explanation on refugee plans: advocate

OTTAWA — The federal government should be more clear about who is included in its evacuation plans from Afghanistan, said the founder of a national advocacy campaign to bring interpreters and local staff to Canada.

Andrew Rusk — brother-in-law of Capt. Nichola Goddard who died in Afghanistan in 2006 and was the first woman Canadian soldier to die in combat — said the government should reveal how many Afghan refugees were on a plane that landed in Toronto, Wednesday.

The flight marked the first arrival of refugees who supported the Canadian military and diplomatic mission in Afghanistan. More planes carrying Afghans who contributed to Canada’s mission are expected to arrive in the coming days.

“In order to ensure that all Afghans that are currently experiencing threats of violence or direct violence themselves are safe, the government owes Canadians a clear explanation of who’s included, and they owe Afghan families a clear explanation of who was included as well,” Rusk said.

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said the federal government won’t share details on the numbers and whereabouts of Afghan refugees who landed in Canada and those who will arrive later to protect the evacuees and the mission’s security.

He said the government is dealing with volatile circumstances in Afghanistan as international coalition forces led by the U.S. continue to withdraw from the country and the Taliban gain ground. Rusk said his group has identified more than 700 families that have members who supported the Canadian operation in Afghanistan.

“Right now, we are letting bureaucracy, as opposed to doing the right thing, dictate who’s included versus who’s not,” Rusk said.