The Senate Human Rights Committee is scheduled to begin Monday hearings on federal anti-terrorism rules that block aid groups from working in Afghanistan.
The Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021, and aid groups say Canadian officials have advised them not to pay people in Afghanistan or buy goods there because paying taxes could get worse.
MPs heard about the case earlier this year, last January, and in a report released in June, they recommended that Ottawa follow the example of its allies – and the United Nations – and change laws to make it clear that the delivery of humanitarian aid Help will not lead to prosecution.
When asked on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not explain why it was taking so long.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a press conference in Vancouver
Photo: The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck
We must try to find a way to get help to communities and people suffering in Afghanistan without supporting and funding the terrorist organization that is currently their government, he told reporters in Vancouver.
It’s a complex situation. We have a number of allies who have made strides in this area and we strive to do the same, he added.
Mr. Trudeau made it clear that this must be done in a way that does not support or encourage the Afghan government, which practices repression and violence against its own people.
Past Commitments
Senior lawyers like Kent Roach argue that Ottawa is misreading its own laws since the federal government has admitted the Taliban rule Afghanistan and is in regular talks with the regime.
Mr. Roach is among six attorneys scheduled to appear before the Senate committee on Monday. Others represent the Canadian Red Cross, World Vision Canada, and groups serving Afghan immigrant women, among others.
The United Nations has sounded the alarm as a severe winter sets in, leaving millions without access to food or water.
Photo: Portal/Ali Khara
The Committee has invited Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino, Justice Minister David Lametti and International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan to testify at meetings scheduled for December 5 and 12. The three ministers refused to appear.
Unfortunately, ministers Mendicino, Lametti and Sajjan had previous commitments when they received the invitation […] and therefore cannot appear at this time, Minister Mendicino’s spokeswoman, Audrey Champoux, said in an email.
Three Justice and Security Department officials will answer questions Monday instead.
Famine at the Winter Gate
A global grassroots group, End Afghan Starvation, has called on Prime Minister Trudeau to review the ongoing deadlock on humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, saying the policy amounts to collective punishment of the country’s 40 million people.
As longtime allies of Afghanistan, we call on Canada to seize the moment and provide essential humanitarian assistance to save Afghan lives, regardless of political circumstances, the group said in an open letter.
A child being treated for malnutrition is treated at a children’s ward at Kabul’s Indira Gandhi Hospital
Photo: Getty Images/Nava Jamshidi
The United Nations has sounded the alarm as a severe winter sets in, leaving millions without access to food or water. The collapsing economy and rising food prices mean families are spending 75% of their income on food, according to the UN.
Half of the Afghan population is now considered food insecure, including six million people who are officially at risk of starvation.
They will be short on food, short on fuel — and they will struggle to keep their children warm and fed, Joyce Msuya, the United Nations’ deputy coordinator for emergency relief, told a Security Council meeting last month.
“The humanitarian situation, which has been dire across the country all year, will only get worse. »
— A quote from Joyce Msuya, Deputy UN Emergency Relief Coordinator
The International Committee of the Red Cross has also reported a rise in cases of pneumonia and child malnutrition in the country.