By Canadian Press

Feds still trying to rescue families of Canadians who helped in Afghanistan: minister

May 31, 2023 | 11:23 AM

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says he’s working with Canadians who helped the military in Afghanistan to develop programs that would bring their families to safety. 

Two Canadians who served as language and cultural advisers in the country filed a Federal Court application last week alleging the government provided “superior immigration benefits” to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

The court filing alleges the government has been discriminatory in its uneven response to the two crises.

The Canadian government recruited some 45 Canadian citizens with Afghan heritage to serve as language and cultural advisers during its military mission in Afghanistan. 

It recently created a program to bring the Afghan families of those advisers to Canada, but the lawsuit says the criteria are so restrictive that it doesn’t apply to many of their relatives who are under threat by the Taliban, which took over in 2021.

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Fraser says it’s an unusual situation because there’s no single representative for all the advisers who served in Afghanistan, but they are still working with those they are aware of to try to help those fleeing vulnerable circumstances. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.

The Canadian Press