(to Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and IRCC officials)

Section 25.1 of the act allows you to make direct ministerial interventions on humanitarian grounds. How many of those have you, or your delegate in the department, issued with respect to the Afghan refugee situation?

Hon. Sean Fraser:

    I'll have to follow up with you to determine the specific answer to that question.

Hon. Erin O'Toole:    Can you undertake to provide that to this special committee?

Hon. Sean Fraser:

    I think I can provide you with that answer.

Hon. Erin O'Toole:

    Yes, please provide the number.

Hon. Erin O’Toole:

Up until August 31—several weeks after the fall of Kabul—the United States and some allies rescued approximately 120,000 refugees. At the tail end of August, Canada was in an election under the caretaker convention. How many ministerial exemptions were provided during that time—August 15 to the end of August—to help facilitate the rescue of people? I understand you weren't the minister, but do you know how many were issued?

Hon. Sean Fraser:

    I would ask the officials who are here with us, in case they have that information. I don't have that information with me today.

The Chair:

    Does Ms. Tapley want to respond, or anyone else?

Ms. Catrina Tapley (Deputy Minister, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Department of Citizenship and Immigration):

     I'm sorry, Mr. Chair. We will have to get back to you with a precise number.’

Hon. Erin O'Toole:

    If you could table with the committee the specific number of exemptions given during that time period in August, and perhaps in the five months ahead of time....

Meeting 10

20:10

MP Hon. Erin O’Toole (C)

Monday April 25 2022

No response received - AFGH 10.1

(to Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and IRCC officials)

Ms. Jenny Kwan:

    Former Afghan interpreters have advised us that applications submitted since January 12 have yet to receive a file number. That's about 65% of the 300. This is about the same time as the government began its effort to expedite the process for Ukrainians.

    Could the minister advise us how many existing staff or FTEs were assigned to process the special immigration measures for Afghan nationals, and how many new staff or FTEs were hired and when? Was there any change in staff deployment by IRCC for the Afghan measures since August 2021? If the committee could get those numbers if the minister doesn't have them at his fingertips, I would appreciate it. I'd like those numbers broken down by staff and FTEs, new and existing in the month to which this applies, and then the offices as well as the streams.

Meeting 10

20:36

MP Jenny Kwan (NDP)

Monday April 25 2022

No response received - AFGH 10.2

(to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship officials)

Mr. Jasraj Singh Hallan:

    I'd like the officials to table a few things, specifically, any instructions that were given to IRCC employees for processing Afghan refugee cases and Afghan special immigration measures cases from January 2021.

Meeting 10

20:44

MP Jasraj Singh Hallan (C)

Monday April 25 2022

No response received

(to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship officials)

Ms. Jenny Kwan:

    First I'd like to ask the officials to also table the information I asked for previously, with respect to the two types of applications for Afghans that are in process. How many of them have received UIC numbers, how many of them are still waiting for the UIC numbers, and how many of them have been refused? Could I get that information?

Meeting 10

21:06

MP Jenny Kwan (NDP)

Monday April 25 2022

No response received

(to Minister of Foreign Affairs)

Ms. Jenny Kwan:

    I raised that with the Minister of Immigration, who seemed surprised and said, “Oh, I haven't heard that”. Of course, I have a list of these individuals who have applied, and it has gone nowhere. I did receive responses from the minister acknowledging receipt of these letters, but no real response.

    It would be great for the officials to table any documentation to the committee to show that they have, in fact, followed up with IRCC, what the expectations are, and what will happen with GAC with these individuals who are being left behind.

Meeting 11

19:12

MP Jenny Kwan (NDP)

Monday May 2 2022

No written response

(to Minister of National Defense and Department of National Defense officials)

As the minister formerly responsible for procurement, and with such a large evacuation effort, what was your department asked to procure to help with the evacuation, and when did the request come in?

Hon. Anita Anand:

    I can say that we were very much involved at that time with a number of very serious procurements on behalf of the Government of Canada. I will ask my deputy minister if he has anything to add, but I was not privy to those conversations myself.

Mr. Bill Matthews (Deputy Minister of National Defence, Department of National Defence):

     Thank you, Mr. Chair.

    The only thing I would add is at that time we were on standby to look into potential air charters, potential lodgings. I will confirm, but my recollection is that those services were not needed and other arrangements were made. But I would have to confirm that after the meeting.

Hon. Kerry-Lynne Findlay:

    Could you do that and let us know, please?

Mr. Bill Matthews:

    Absolutely.

Meeting 12

18:40

MP l’hon. Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay (C)

Monday May 9 2022

No response received

(to Department of National Defense officials)

From the lessons learned that the minister mentioned and acknowledged was ongoing since, who led the CAF portion of the lessons-learned process? Was it an SJS and CJOC lead? Who led it?

Gen Wayne D. Eyre:

    Mr. Chair, as you will remember, we conduct after-action reviews at each level. SOFCOM conducted their own after action review. CJOC conducted their own, and we did a Canadian Armed Forces one led by SJS.

Mr. Alex Ruff:

    Would it be possible to get a copy of that report, even if it has to be vetted, I guess, to some extent, although there are members of the committee who do have the appropriate security clearances?

Gen Wayne D. Eyre:

    It is a classified report. I'm not sure of the rules that surround that. We'll have to take that one away and find out what the rules are.

Mr. Alex Ruff:

    Please get back to us on that.

Meeting 12

19:39

MP Alex Ruff (C)

Monday May 9 2022

No response received

(to Department of National Defense officials)

Mr. Alex Ruff:    Was there an interdepartmental between the different departments—maybe this is more for the deputy minister—of lessons learned or the after action process?

Mr. Bill Matthews:

    I'm aware that there are conversations about lessons learned. I will have to get back and check to see if they're formal lessons learned. There's certainly been dialogue. I don't know if it's as formal as what the chief mentioned, but the chief may be aware.

Gen Wayne D. Eyre:

    We provided input to a PCO-led post-operation review. I have not seen the output of that……..

Mr. Alex Ruff:

    We'll see what we can do about getting back on that.

Meeting 12

19:40

MP Jenny Kwan (NDP)

Monday May 9 2022

No response received

(to Department of National Defense officials)

I wonder if the department would have any concerns if Canada were to conduct biometrics of Afghans either in third countries or in Canada after they've arrived in Canada.

Gen Wayne D. Eyre:

    Mr. Chair, I would have to get advice on that question. Any collection of biometrics would be in support of another department. Unfortunately, I don't have a good answer for you on that.

Ms. Jenny Kwan:

     I would love to get your answer in writing to the committee at a later time……The reason why I ask is this: IRCC will say it's not up to them, that because of national security it's up to Defence and others to make that decision. So we consequently have a situation where everybody is passing the buck to someone else, and I'm interested in knowing what can be done and how it could be done, and can Canada work in collaboration with allied countries to help to get this done? Because, if based on the numbers we have received, the 3,800 which you referred to IRCC, only 900 have been processed—hopefully, here, but maybe not.... The rest of them, I don't know what's happened to them.

    With respect to documentations, because of the collaboration that's required, there are situations where people literally are hiding right now and they're burning their documents at the moment, so to require them to submit those documentations is almost an impossible task.

    I understand national security, but I also think we need to step up to try to figure out what to do here and how we can proceed, so I'd love to get your advice on what Canada can do to help bring more Afghans to safety.

Meeting 12

20:17

MP Jenny Kwan (NPD)

Monday May 9 2022

No response received

Jenny Kwan moved, — That the committee ask IRCC to confirm that they have received the 3,800 applications referred by the Department of National Defence; and, that IRCC advise the Committee: how many have been processed with an invitation and assigned a G-number, how many have arrived in Canada, and when could the rest of the 2,900 applications be expect to be processed.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to

Meeting 12

Special Committee on Afghanistan (AFGH) motion

Monday May 9 2022

No response received