‘Time is Past Urgent’: Legislation Needed to Help Canadian Aid Groups Work in Afghanistan, Says Sen. Omidvar

In this excerpt from The Hill Times, Senator Omidvar calls on the government to bring forward legislation to allow Canadian aid organizations to work in Afghanistan.

An Independent Senator is calling on the government to bring forward legislation to allow Canadian aid organizations to work in Afghanistan without running afoul of Canadian anti-terrorism laws.

The work of Canadian non-government organizations in providing humanitarian assistance to Afghans is being restricted due to Canadian law that bars direct or indirect financial support to a terrorist entity, such as the Taliban. Criminal penalties include up to 10 years in prison.

Given the dire situation in Afghanistan, Independent Senator Ratna Omidvar (Ontario) said the government needs to move expeditiously to pass legislation to align itself with allied nations who have provided humanitarian exemptions so their own aid organizations can distribute needed assistance.

“The law has to be amended,” she said, noting that Canada’s support for the Afghan people should be separate from how Canada views its government. “The legislation has to be changed for Canadian NGOs to engage in humanitarian efforts. It’s as simple as that.”

“Time is past urgent,” she said. “Urgency was two, three, four months ago, and we’re still dragging on. This is unconscionable in my view.”

She said it would be “much better” for the government to move amending legislation.

If the government can find another solution that would allow Canadian NGOs to operate in Afghanistan without legislation, Omidvar said she would be “happy to look at it.”

“But my information is that the legislation needs [to be] amended,” she said.

She said she is “hoping” it is the government that will move legislation, as it would “simpler” than pursuing it through a Senate or private member’s bill.

“It is in the interest of the government to clear up their own house on this matter instead of leaving it up to an independent Parliamentarian,” she said.

Without action, Omidvar said it is the Afghan people who will continue to pay the price.

“The people of Afghanistan are suffering from a whole range of factors that are making their lives very insecure. There is no medicine. There is very little food. There has been an earthquake,” she said. “Let alone the repression of the Taliban.”

In response to a question from Omidvar in the Red Chamber on Sept. 21, government representative in the Senate Marc Gold (Stadacona, Que.) said the feds are “seized with the issue.”

“[The government is] working to identify a solution that upholds Canadian national security interests while facilitating the effective delivery of assistance to the Afghan people in this horrible and unprecedented situation,” he said. “I’m further advised that the government is working with Public Safety and the Department of Justice to look at necessary changes to support the needs of the Afghan people,” he said.

The United States and the United Kingdom have provided sanction exemptions for humanitarian supplies for Afghans. The UN Security Council also passed a resolution in late 2021 providing humanitarian exemptions to Afghanistan sanctions.

Read the full article in The Hill Times