By Canadian Press

Mendicino to testify on long-awaited bill aimed at unblocking aid in Afghanistan

Apr 17, 2023 | 10:34 AM

OTTAWA, Ill. — Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino will testify at a parliamentary committee this afternoon on legislation aimed at unblocking humanitarian support for people in Afghanistan.

The Liberal government has tabled a bill that would amend the Criminal Code so that Canadian aid workers can carry out duties in areas controlled by terrorists without being prosecuted for inadvertently funding such groups.

The legislation comes a year after similar changes by Canada’s allies, and it spells out how aid workers can apply for an exemption to help people in crisis in a geographic area that is controlled by a terrorist group.

Humanitarian groups say that more than a year ago, Global Affairs Canada warned them that purchasing goods or hiring locals in Afghanistan would involve paying taxes to the Taliban, which would be categorized under the law as contributing to a terror group.

Mendicino will speak about the legislation at a meeting of the House of Commons justice committee, along with senior bureaucrats.

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Many aid groups have welcomed the change, but Doctors Without Borders said Ottawa should issue a blanket exemption instead of requiring groups to apply for permits.

“These amendments unfortunately create new bureaucratic hurdles for organizations to overcome,” the group argued in a press release last month.

The proposed changes “introduce new, onerous requirements that will delay life-saving assistance,” it said.

Doctors Without Borders also argues that the proposed legislation could create an uneven approach, and that if a group has its permit denied — even for administrative reasons — it will have to abruptly discontinue aid delivery projects. 

“These amendments also contradict the fundamental principles of independence and impartiality of humanitarian assistance under international humanitarian law.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press