Ottawa, ON – Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, made the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the Taliban taking over control of Afghanistan:

“The Afghans who served alongside our country deserve better.

“For the last year, my Conservative colleagues and I have heard from Afghans suffering because of the failure of the Canadian government to deliver on their commitments to Afghanistan.

“Despite warnings that Afghanistan was at risk of falling to the Taliban, the Liberals failed to plan for an evacuation of our partners in Afghanistan and continue to struggle to provide thousands of Afghans safe entry into our country. While our coalition allies were planning and organizing to evacuate their people, Canada’s government was forced into a caretaker convention.

“Now, either forced into hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan or stranded in a third country, Afghans who’ve applied to immigration programs available to them have been lost amongst the IRCC’s seemingly endless backlogs. Many applicants have only ever received auto-replies, while countless others have never even received a response.

“It is shameful the Canadian government would treat Afghans who stood by our country like this while the Taliban hunts them for their service.

“Conservatives are calling for an end to the culture of secrecy and unaccountability at IRCC. The Liberal government has a moral obligation to do everything they can to get these families to safety. It must immediately reopen the Special Immigration Measure program and adopt the immigration recommendations of the report from the Special Committee on Afghanistan. Our Afghan partners deserve action now, not more empty promises over another year.”