OTTAWA-
Changing the Criminal Code could be one way – but not the only way – to solve a problem that aid groups say is preventing them from helping desperate Afghans, Justice Minister David Lametti said.
Humanitarian groups say they are unable to deliver aid to people in need for fear of reprisals under Canada’s anti-terrorism laws, which list the Taliban as a terrorist entity.
The organizations told MPs in the spring that Global Affairs Canada said they would not be able to pay a driver to deliver food or supplies because it would result in taxes being sent to the Taliban.
These MPs were part of a House of Commons committee that probed Canada’s response to the fall of Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. In June, he called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to change the law to allow aid groups to come to the aid of people on the ground, without being prosecuted for aiding a terrorist group.
Months later, it still hasn’t happened. Opposition parties and aid groups accuse Ottawa of dragging its feet, while Canada’s allies found exemptions months ago.
Lametti said in an interview on Tuesday that the government is “sensitive” to the issue and that it is a complex issue, which requires the work of different federal departments.
“There are a number of different options on the table,” he said, without offering time frames.
“Amendments to the Criminal Code are an option on the table — they are not the only option on the table, and we will do our best to find the right solution.”
He added that it is important that whatever solution the government might stumble upon does not lead to unintended consequences.
Senator Ratna Omidvar said Wednesday that the situation in Afghanistan is more than urgent and that the government should now have plans in place to offer some sort of exemption.
“I don’t care how they fix it. I don’t care if it’s an exemption from prosecution or a change in the terrorism court – I just want them to do it.”
Omidvar said she expected to pressure Lametti on the matter, as he was scheduled to appear before the Senate later Wednesday.
She said that Canadian NGOs “have their hands tied behind their backs”.
She also asked if the government was really seized with the issue as it stated, given that it is still weighing options months after it was first reported.
“Thinking about it is not grasping at it,” she says.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 5, 2022.