Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Ottawa won't share details on Afghan refugees

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Aug, 2021 09:52 AM
  • Ottawa won't share details on Afghan refugees

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says the federal government won't share details on the numbers and whereabouts of Afghan refugees who landed in Canada yesterday and those who will arrive later to protect the evacuees and the security of the operation.

Speaking to a virtual news conference today, Mendicino says the government is dealing with urgent and volatile circumstances in Afghanistan as the international coalition forces led by the United States continue to withdraw from the country and the Taliban gain ground.

The first planeload of refugees who supported the Canadian military and diplomatic mission in Afghanistan arrived in Toronto yesterday and more planes carrying Afghans who contributed to Canada's mission are expected to arrive in the next days and weeks.

Mendicino says the Afghan refugees will receive assistance from the government during their first year in Canada and that will include income support and language training.

The government last month announced a program to urgently resettle Afghans deemed to have been “integral” to the Canadian Armed Forces' mission, including interpreters, cooks, drivers, cleaners, construction workers, security guards and embassy staff, as well as their spouses and children.

Former Afghan interpreters now living in Canada called on the federal government to expand the program to include their extended family members stuck in Afghanistan because they also face the risk of being targeted by the Taliban.

MORE National ARTICLES

Results of pandemic election won't be immediate

Results of pandemic election won't be immediate
They're part of a process Elections Canada has devised to ensure an election can be conducted safely and produce trustworthy results while the country remains in the grip of COVID-19.

Results of pandemic election won't be immediate

Long-term care improvements could top $13B

Long-term care improvements could top $13B
A report published this morning by parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux estimates ending wait lists, increasing staff pay and benefits, providing more hours of care each day and expanding home care could cost around $13.7 billion.

Long-term care improvements could top $13B

Canada, U.S. can't share firefighters

Canada, U.S. can't share firefighters
Last year, Canada sent 529 front-line crew members, 62 supervisory teams and a number of aircraft to help the U.S. battle rampant wildfires in California and the Pacific Northwest.

Canada, U.S. can't share firefighters

Vancouver home sales down 11.6% from June: REBGV

Vancouver home sales down 11.6% from June: REBGV
The B.C. board says home sales in the region totalled 3,326 last month, a 6.3 per cent increase from the 3,128 sales recorded last July and an 11.6 per cent drop from the 3,762 homes sold in June.

Vancouver home sales down 11.6% from June: REBGV

Next step of Meng extradition case set to begin

Next step of Meng extradition case set to begin
Legal arguments are expected over the next few weeks from the Department of Justice and Meng's lawyers over whether she should be extradited to the United States.

Next step of Meng extradition case set to begin

Delta doubling B.C. COVID cases every 7 to 10 days

Delta doubling B.C. COVID cases every 7 to 10 days
COVID-19 cases in B.C. continued their upward march as the province reported more than 700 infections Tuesday over a four-day period, with more than half of those in the Interior where the vaccination rate is lower.

Delta doubling B.C. COVID cases every 7 to 10 days