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441-01342 (Citizenship and immigration)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament Assembled

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, draw the attention of the house to the following:

Whereas:

  • In the last 130 years, the Hazara ethnic group has faced genocide and systematic ethnic cleansing in Afghanistan;
  • With the fall of the Afghan government in August 2021, the Taliban taking over the control of Afghanistan, Hazaras once again found themselves in the situation they faced in 1998-2001, massacre, arrest, forced mass displacement, and confiscation of Hazaras' land;
  • The Taliban Regime is responsible for the massacre and genocide of Hazaras. Taliban gunmen were directly involved in executing Hazaras and forcing them to leave their homelands; and
  • The government of Canada, as part of the international communities, has an obligation to promote justice for Hazara ethnic group in Afghanistan.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:

Recognize the ongoing genocide and persecution of Hazaras and call upon the Government of Canada to prioritize Hazaras coming to Canada as part of the 40,000 target of Afghani refugees.

Response by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Marie-France Lalonde, M.P.

The Government of Canada remains firmly committed to resettling at least 40,000 Afghan refugees by the end of 2023. Our commitment to resettle vulnerable Afghan nationals to Canada is being fulfilled through several pathways, including a humanitarian program focused on resettling women, LGBTQ2 people, human rights defenders, journalists and members of religious and ethnic minorities. As of May 5, 2023, we have welcomed 30,680 vulnerable Afghans to Canada.

The Government of Canada takes the protection and promotion of human rights seriously and is deeply concerned with the discrimination and violence that has affected Hazaras and other religious and ethnic minority communities in Afghanistan. We strongly condemn the attacks against these communities and offer our condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.

Through the commitment, the Government of Canada has created public policies to resettle persecuted Hazaras including: the public policy for the resettlement of certain Afghan nationals selected by the Minister of IRCC under Operation Afghan Safety on November 22, 2021 and the public policy for the resettlement of certain Afghan nationals selected by the Minister of IRCC – Hazara Afghan nationals on December 23, 2021.

We are working with our partners, both internationally and within the Government of Canada, to find comprehensive solutions, as we know many persecuted minorities remain in Afghanistan. There are operational challenges due to the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan that compromise our ability to ensure the safety and security of our clients and our staff. Protection and promotion of human rights both at home and abroad remain a priority for the Government of Canada, and we will continue to facilitate refugee resettlement and honour our international humanitarian commitments.

All key statistics, updated regularly, may be found on the Departmental website at #WelcomeAfghans: Key figures - Canada.ca

The Department’s public policies may be consulted on the Departmental website at Public policies - Canada.ca.

More information about potential other pathways for Afghan nationals to explore can be found on the Departmental website at Immigrate to Canada - Canada.ca.

Presented to the House of Commons
Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard)
April 26, 2023 (Petition No. 441-01342)
Government response tabled
June 9, 2023
Photo - Tom Kmiec
Calgary Shepard
Conservative Caucus
Alberta

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.