Justin Trudeau blamed Taliban checkpoints rather than bureaucratic red tape and delays on Wednesday as his government continued to face questions about the pace of Canada’s effort to evacuate hundreds of Afghans from their country.
The senior military officer who oversaw Canada’s vaccine rollout campaign is poised to be charged with one count of sexual assault, though one of his lawyers is raising questions about the timing of that decision in relation to the federal election.
All Canadian diplomats have left Afghanistan, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Tuesday, raising fresh questions and concerns about the government’s promise to help hundreds of former interpreters and their families still stuck in the country.
Canadians working to evacuate allies from Afghanistan described chaos, fear and disappointment on Sunday, August 15, 2021, as Canada shut down its embassy in Kabul and suspended diplomatic relations amid a Taliban advance in the capital.
The Trudeau government is promising to resettle 20,000 refugees who have already fled Afghanistan even as months of frustration turn to outright fear over the fate of hundreds of former interpreters and their families still stuck in the country.
The email address where Afghan interpreters were told to send their application forms under an urgent resettlement plan crashed on Thursday, July 29, 2021, snarling what applicants and Canadian veterans say is an already chaotic process.