Afghan Interpreters, Others Fast-tracking to Canada

[The Bread Guy]

The latest:  one out of three applicants make it through the sausage machine....

Two of every three Afghans who sought refuge in Canada after risking their lives working for the military in Kandahar have been turned away, including some who worked alongside Canadian soldiers during the bloodiest days of battle.

The special-measures program was announced with much fanfare by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney in the fall of 2009 and brought Canada in line with other NATO countries which had already launched similar initiatives.

It ends Monday.

Applicants had to demonstrate they faced extraordinary risk as a result of their work with Canada. Few didn't. Working as an interpreter for NATO forces in southern Afghanistan was akin to having a Taliban bull's-eye on the back of a shalwar khameez.

Stories of night letters, threatening phone calls, abductions and even hangings were part of the job. As interpreters also travelled with soldiers and diplomats, at least six were among those killed during the IED strikes that claimed 161 Canadian lives.

The other major requirement for acceptance was a bit tougher: interpreters must have worked for Canada for 12 consecutive months between October 2007 and July 2011, when the mission in Kandahar came to an end.

But Canadian troops began their work in Kandahar in 2006, as did the hundreds of interpreters who would go on to work for the Canadian government ....

The Canadian Press, 11 Sept 11

 

[jollyjacktar]

I am still in contact with my head terp.  He said he has been approved to come to Canada with his wife in about 3-4 months time.  One other chap was also approved, but the others are not successful at this point.  I'm pleased to think that at least my friend and his wife will be safe.

 

[Sythen]

Why stop with the LA's? The ANA and AUP also faced those dangers on patrols with us.. Bring them over.. Heck, when a normal civilian would point out where an IED was or a cache was hidden, find all of them and bring them over too.

Every LA we had (we kept having to fire them for different reasons, so we had I'd say over a dozen) told us the only reason they were LA is cause they wanted to come to Canada. I can't provide proof of this or anything, but really is that the type of mentality we want in our immigrants? How can we expect Afghanistan to flourish at all when we take their most educated away?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Every LA we had (we kept having to fire them for different reasons, so we had I'd say over a dozen) told us the only reason they were LA is cause they wanted to come to Canada. I can't provide proof of this or anything, but really is that the type of mentality we want in our immigrants? How can we expect Afghanistan to flourish at all when we take their most educated away?

If you look over the debate running up & down this thread, two philosophies debated are "we have to take them to protect them because they helped us when it was dangerous to do so" versus "if we take away (at least some of) the smartest and brightest, how will Afghan society evolve?" 

Given how unsafe I'm guessing Afghanistan is still going to be once NATO leaves, I'm OK with the former, given how few the numbers involved are.

 

[Sythen]

If you look over the debate running up & down this thread, two philosophies debated are "we have to take them to protect them because they helped us when it was dangerous to do so" versus "if we take away (at least some of) the smartest and brightest, how will Afghan society evolve?" 

Given how unsafe I'm guessing Afghanistan is still going to be once NATO leaves, I'm OK with the former, given how few the numbers involved are.

Yes, I did skim over the previous posts and decided to add my :2c: And I will say again, why stop with the LA's? Do the ANA or AUP face any less danger?

 

[GAP]

Canada tries to do right thing, fails miserably
Joe O'Connor  Sep 29, 2011 Sep
Article Link

Sometimes, say, every once in a Fall Harvest Moon, our government steps up and does something that has nothing to do with partisanship or the economy and everything to do with what is morally right and just.

That is what Jason Kenney, the Immigration and Citizenship minister, was doing in September, 2009 when he announced that Afghans who worked and risked their lives alongside Canadian soldiers in Kandahar could apply to be fast tracked for permanent residency status in Canada.

Kenney aptly cast the shiny new initiative as the “right thing to do.” And it was. And it still is. And the only problem is we didn’t do it particularly well and we are not doing it at all anymore.

The program wound down earlier this month. Two-thirds of the Afghans who applied under it were rejected. Asad (no relation to Hamid) Karzai was one of them. (You can read my article about him here).

Immigration officials expect 550 Afghan nationals to arrive beneath the initiative’s banner. My math might not be great, but if two-thirds of the applicants were rejected that means about a thousand would-be immigrants are still marooned in Afghanistan, and itching to get out.

It is a home that is not always particularly sweet for former employees of the Canadian Forces who, by nature of their employment, become marked men in the eyes of the Taliban.

They picked us, the good guys, to work for. The bad guys noticed, and they don’t forget about those who “collaborate” with the “foreigners.” They also don’t forget that the “collaborators” have families: wives, children and parents, all of whom are potential targets for intimidation and retribution and worse at the hands of insurgents.

So, what the heck happened? How could something so high-minded and nice-sounding and generously Canadian be such a sham in the end?

Simple answer: bureaucratic inflexibility. The program, sigh, was terminally flawed from its outset — no matter how good its intentions were.
More on link

 

[jollyjacktar]

Makes me sick at heart to think of the Terps that worked for me not getting a safe passage here.  Shamefull. 

 

[The Bread Guy]

On the one hand, good on the Toronto Star for advocating for this one 'terp (whose case is being brought to Federal Court):

Blocked by Canada’s immigration minister and abandoned by the Canadian military he bravely served, a former battlefield interpreter now hopes our courts will rescue him from a Taliban vendetta. Lorne Waldman, a Toronto immigration and refugee lawyer who has successfully argued cases all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, is one of three lawyers who offered to take on Afghan Sayed Shah Sharifi’s case free of charge. Reluctantly, Sharifi is taking Waldman up on his offer. “If it can be solved without the court, it’s better, sir,” Sharifi told me Thursday from Kandahar city. “But if it isn’t, we can go to court.” Waldman plans to ask the Federal Court of Canada for a judicial review of the government’s decision to reject Sharifi’s visa application. “I think it’s outrageous that the Canadian government is — having employed someone as in interpreter in a situation that any objective observer would know would put him at risk — is now denying him the protection that he deserves,” Waldman said ....

On the other hand, we know the Taliban read the papers, so is tooooo much coverage (as they've been pressing for the last several weeks) a good thing?  I know I'm one of the first to complain about media holding back information (especially when not covering one of their own), but maybe less is more sometimes?

 

[The Bread Guy]

Toronto Star continues full-court press to get 'terp into Canada:

From Africa, through Europe to Mexico, the U.S. and across Canada, thousands of people are joining the outcry against the Canadian government’s refusal to give an Afghan war hero safe refuge. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says former Afghan interpreter Sayed Shah Sharifi, who was praised for his bravery on the battlefield by Canadian troops he worked alongside, doesn’t deserve a visa to escape Taliban revenge. If Prime Minister Stephen Harper needed any proof that his immigration minister’s harsh stand is embarrassing Canada in front of the world, here it is. By Sunday evening, more than 2,141 people had signed at least two online petitions, building on growing pressure from Toronto Star readers writing letters demanding Harper and Kenney help Sharifi. Lynn Hamilton, who describes herself as an activist blogger, started a campaign demanding protection for Sharifi on Care2 take action, which bills itself as the world’s number one petition site ....

Two petitions out there, actually - one here, the other here.

- edited to add story link -

 

[OldSolduer]

Ministerial direction means squat to the bureaucrats.  We've seen this before - Minister Y says something publicly, but bureaucrat X pays lip service to it.

Another example of the bureaucracy over riding the will of a Cabinet Minister.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Ministerial direction means squat to the bureaucrats.  We've seen this before - Minister Y says something publicly, but bureaucrat X pays lip service to it.

Another example of the bureaucracy over riding the will of a Cabinet Minister.

If the TorStar is to be believed, though, the (Immigration) bureaucrats are doing what the (Immigration) Minister wants.  It's just that they're not doing with the (Defence) Minister may want.

If I were a reporter, I'd ask the Defence Minister the question, "What can you do to ensure interpreter Sayed Shah Sharifi can come to Canada?" to see what he has to say.  Hell, ask the boss of both Ministers, the PM, the question and see what's said.

 

[The Bread Guy]

If I were a reporter, I'd ask the Defence Minister the question, "What can you do to ensure interpreter Sayed Shah Sharifi can come to Canada?" to see what he has to say.  Hell, ask the boss of both Ministers, the PM, the question and see what's said.

According to TorStar, we may have an answer of sorts.....

More than 100 Afghan citizens who put their lives on the line to help Canada’s Afghanistan mission are getting a second chance to resettle here.

The Prime Minister’s Office has quietly ordered the federal immigration department to review the cases of Afghan citizens who helped Canadian diplomats and soldiers in Kandahar and Kabul — often at great personal risk — but were snubbed in their bids to come to Canada, the Star has learned.

The news could mean that Sayed Shah Sharifi, an interpreter whose story has been featured in the Star, could get another shot at coming to Canada. His initial application had been rejected, even though his service to the Canadian military won him accolades.

The surprise review comes amidst criticism that the Conservative government had betrayed a promise of Canadian citizenship to Afghans who had worked alongside Canadians on the battlefield.

As well, Harper’s office has removed one contentious criterion that had been seen as a roadblock to many Afghans seeking to make a new life in Canada, according to a source familiar with the file.

No longer will applicants have to demonstrate they face “extraordinary and individualized risk and serious injury” because of their service to Canadian troops, a subjective evaluation that prevented two-thirds of the candidates from qualifying ....

Toronto Star, 6 Feb 12

 

[ttlbmg]

I do find it interesting that one of the main arguments for not bringing these people over is that "we" are taking people away from Afghanistan thatwould be capable of building up their country. I know of, and have heard many stories of, many Afghan citizens that have immigrated to the country, and have then turned around and gone back to the country as an interpreter, still working for their country. Who is to say that some of the men and women coming into Canada won't then have the access to greater education, or education for their children, then take what they have learned and go back to help their countrymen, armed with new knowledge and skills? Call me the wide-eyed idealist. Some will jump at the chance of a life in Canada, some will stay to ensure that their country is going in a positive direction. One can only hope that the "good intentions" of the Canadian federal government will lead to bringing come courageous and brave people to safety, and giving others the option to work on making their country a better place.

There's my bubbly optimism for the day!

 

[The Bread Guy]

….Members of the Canadian Armed Forces and diplomatic missions routinely rely on local interpreters and cultural guides when deployed in foreign lands, often in environments no more welcoming to Westerners than Afghanistan. If Canada wishes to continue to find willing locals when it sends troops or diplomats abroad, it must ensure that its reputation as a reliable partner remains intact. To do otherwise could endanger the lives of personnel on future missions, not to mention the successful outcomes of the missions themselves. That means a fair deal for Afghans, free of arbitrary cutoffs and needless red tape.

National Post, 13 Feb 12

 

[Redeye]

I do find it interesting that one of the main arguments for not bringing these people over is that "we" are taking people away from Afghanistan thatwould be capable of building up their country. I know of, and have heard many stories of, many Afghan citizens that have immigrated to the country, and have then turned around and gone back to the country as an interpreter, still working for their country. Who is to say that some of the men and women coming into Canada won't then have the access to greater education, or education for their children, then take what they have learned and go back to help their countrymen, armed with new knowledge and skills? Call me the wide-eyed idealist. Some will jump at the chance of a life in Canada, some will stay to ensure that their country is going in a positive direction. One can only hope that the "good intentions" of the Canadian federal government will lead to bringing come courageous and brave people to safety, and giving others the option to work on making their country a better place.

There's my bubbly optimism for the day!

I had, in my day job as a financial planner, a few clients who were Afghans, who had come to Canada at various points in history, some in the 1980s, some in the 1990s, and a few even more recently than that. They had worked hard in Canada to build a life for their families, but there was something interesting about a lot of them. They were all looking for ways to contribute to the rebuilding and redevelopment of their homeland. One family even returned. They had an immense sense of gratitude for what Canada had given them, and took their knowledge and skills back to their homeland when they saw an opportunity. Taking a relatively small number of people out of the country where there is a reasonable risk to them doesn't really mean they'll never go back to make a difference, it may actually set them up to make more of one.

 

[jollyjacktar]

I just received an email from my head Terp.  He tells me he has arrived and settled out west with his family.  I am so very friggin pleased to see him safe here and knowing that we have done right by him and his wife.  :nod:

 

[GAP]

sweet

 

[jollyjacktar]

Yes it is, so very sweet to hear this.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Dozens of interpreters who served as Canada's voice during the war in Kandahar, but then met silence when they tried to immigrate here, are now being allowed in.

Over 500 people applied under a special program set up in 2009 by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to recognize "Afghans who face extraordinary personal risk as a result of their work in support of Canada's mission in Kandahar."

But two thirds of those who applied were turned away by the time the program closed last September, because the government said they didn't meet the qualifications.

Now, the government is easing the rules, saying they were too restrictive ....

The Canadian Press, 20 Apr 12

 

[The Bread Guy]

.... from CBC

A former Afghan interpreter for the Canadian Forces now living in Ottawa has re-established contact with soldiers he helped during the war in Afghanistan.

Mohammad Rahman was no usual interpreter, according to soldiers who worked alongside him. Rahman carried a gun and medical emergency kit and was able to tie a tourniquet and administer an IV.

He can also speak five languages — Dari, Pashto, Urdu, Arabic and English — which made him indispensable to Canadian soldiers.

Four years ago, Rahman saved the life of Maj. Mark Campbell when the pair were caught in a firefight with the Taliban in Kandahar province's Panjwaii district .

"He was my personal bodyguard," Campbell said of Rahman. "He was the only interpreter allowed to carry a weapon and that’s because he was an Afghan National Army senior medic. He brought all those medical skills that came into play to some degree the day I was hurt."

Campbell suffered serious injuries, losing both legs in the field of battle. Rahman worked hard to save the man’s life.

"I put for him tourniquets and also I give him IV before the battle group medic was coming to help me. Very bad place for me in my life," Rahman said of that day.

Rahman — or Froggy as he became known because of his throaty, croaky voice — was the head interpreter for nine different Canadian commanding officers.

Maj. Steve Nolan was another of them, forging a bond while working in 2008 and 2009.

"It took many cups of tea and many meals," Nolan said, recalling how Rahman helped him, just as he had helped Campbell, mentor hundreds of men in the Afghan battalion.

"He not only knew the culture and the language, he knew all of the people in that brigade." ....