Marcus Powlowski is glad to see the federal government promise to help relocate Afghans who worked with the Canadian military.
Federal officials announced last week a new program to resettle interpreters and others who helped the Canadian military during the Afghanistan conflict.
The Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP says that’s something his office has been part of since he was elected, following up on a local veteran’s request to rescue people he’d worked with.
“We started off with two people, and we got three or four, and then I said well, you know, if we’re going to advocate for one, we might as well advocate for all of them,” Powlowski explains.
He says the initial request from Robin Rickards came in to his predecessor Don Rusnak, and Powlowski’s staff have continued that work, including tracking down the Canadians they are connected to in order to verify their identities.
Powlowski says Afghans with connections to Western governments and militaries are especially in danger due to the Taliban. He heard from one man who received a video from the Taliban showing the execution of another man who helped the Canadian military.
“The sense of justice meted out by the Taliban is pretty harsh,” he says.
The MP and his staff are turning their attention to the application process for the special immigration measures, which triggered backlash after the initial letters sent to interpreters said they had only 72 hours to complete the extensive paperwork.
While that has been backtracked and the government has said no applications will be held to that deadline, Powlowski hopes the process is improved.
“Okay, so they have to apply. Where do you find a printer in rural Afghanistan?” he points out.
While some of the people Powlowski’s office has been assisting have yet to arrive in Canada, he believes at least some will choose to settle in Thunder Bay.
He adds their English language skills and experience with the military will be an asset in their job search once they are settled.
