Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Conservative candidate Alex Ruff is among a group of campaigning Tories urging some top Liberal ministers to set aside their re-election efforts to focus on helping Afghans flee their country.
Ruff, who is an incumbent MP, alongside federal Conservative Party candidates Michael Chong and Michelle Rempel Garner are calling on Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino and Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau to “immediately suspend their campaigns, return to Ottawa and save the lives of those who helped us in our time of need,” as the Taliban takes over Afghanistan.
A statement issued Wednesday from Ruff and Chong says, “These Ministers are responsible for Government of Canada departments essential to fulfilling our promise to secure and bring back Afghan interpreters, contractors, and refugees.”
It continues, “These Afghans risked their lives to assist Canadian soldiers and diplomats – and now is their time of need.”
The United Kingdom recalled its parliament during summer break for an emergency debate Wednesday on the situation in Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, local conservative candidate Ruff and Calgary Nose Hill Incumbent MP Michelle Rempel Garner issued a statement saying “The Liberal announcement on Friday that they would bring 20,000 Afghans to Canada was misleading. There were reports within hours of this announcement that the embassy had shut down all communications. The fact that they made this announcement without telling Canadians or Afghans how they would follow through on this promise, while the Taliban were on the doorstep of the capital of Afghanistan, is shameful.”
They add, “While constituency offices are attempting to contact the Immigration and Global Affairs Minister’s staff, they have failed to respond. This is the consequence of Justin Trudeau calling an election while Afghanistan is in the process of being taken over by the Taliban.”
When asked during a campaign announcement in Vancouver, what’s being done to help Afghans who are having trouble getting out of the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Wednesday, “The limiting factor on this is not paperwork or not connections with the Canadian government. The limiting factor in getting people out of Afghanistan right now is people being unable to get to the airport. People being unable to actually leave the country.” Trudeau added, “Which is why we’ve seen a number of planes airlifting people out that have not been full–because the Taliban is preventing people from getting to the airport.”
Trudeau said, “We will be resettling over 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan in Canada because we know how important it is to do our part to support the people who fought for a better future for themselves in Afghanistan. Many of those people will have to come through third countries, will have to be able to get out of Afghanistan in the coming weeks and months, but we will continue to be there for them and again, paperwork and formulas are not the impediment to getting people here.”
Trudeau said 92 people arrived in Canada on a flight from Afghanistan Tuesday night.
A United States Department of Defense report says Monday night, the US flew between 700 and 800 people out of the country.