Concerned by by the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and the risks it poses for many vulnerable Afghans, Canada has expanded its resettlement program to bring more Afghans to safety.
To address the safety concerns , the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced on August 13th that Canada will resettle 20,000 vulnerable Afghans threatened by the Taliban and forced to flee Afghanistan.
“The situation in Afghanistan is heartbreaking and Canada will not stand idly by,” Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino told a news conference.
Several planeloads of asylum-seekers have already departed Kabul with the first one landing Friday in Toronto, Mendicino said.
In this context, the government of Canada website explains that a special program to focus on particularly vulnerable groups including women leaders, human rights defenders, journalists, persecuted religious minorities, LGBTI individuals, and family members of previously resettled interpreters will be introduced.
The announcement added that the government will collaborate with non profit organisations which help new immigrants with the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation to resettle hundreds of persecuted Afghan Sikhs and Hindus
