LGBTQ2S+ refugee group urges Ottawa to help as fraction of Afghans seeking aid resettled
LGBTQ2S+ refugee group Rainbow Railroad has only been able to resettle four per cent of the nearly 3,800 Afghans who have asked it for help since the Taliban took over their country.
The Toronto-based group documents persecution on the basis of Afghans' gender identities and sexual orientations in a report it released Monday, arguing that Ottawa's resettlement programs don't account for those who can't safely flee Afghanistan to neighbouring countries.
"A number of LGBTQI+ people reported being beaten and subject to physical violence by the Taliban outside of detention settings, either in their homes during a search, or in public places," reads the report.
"Rape and sexual violence were mentioned in many requests for help, including sexual assault by family and community members in an environment of impunity."
Afghans reported to Rainbow Railroad that the Taliban searched their phones, identified them on social media and incentivized others to surveil and report on them.
During the roughly four-year period leading up to the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Rainbow Railroad said it received just 144 requests for help.
Since the Taliban takeover, 3,797 people have asked the group for aid -- but just 180 have reached Canada, with roughly 20 more expected to arrive around the end of this year.
The group has helped resettle another 67 people to places such as the United Kingdom and provided stipends for some Afghans living in other countries.
In June, a parliamentary committee called on Ottawa to "create a special immigration measure to urgently resettle at least 300 pre-identified LGBTQI+ Afghan refugees."
For years, Rainbow Railroad has asked Ottawa to create a dedicated pathway for LGBTQ people fleeing persecution to reach Canada, following a slew of pilot programs.
The group is now calling on Immigration Minister Sean Fraser to streamline the way the department assesses requests for help from minority groups.
They also want Canada to make it easier for people to seek resettlement -- particularly Afghans who can't find a safe way to a neighbouring country to file a claim.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it will provide a response Tuesday.
NDP foreign-affairs critic Heather McPherson said the government is failing its moral duty to protect those most at risk of Taliban persecution.
"It is horrifying. These are people that are at grave risk of losing their lives; these are some of the most vulnerable people in the world right now," she said.
"Canada has an obligation. We have an ability to help and it's immoral for us to not be doing more to help this community."
She noted that the NDP reached out to the Liberals about the need to protect minorities as the U.S. announced in April 2021 that it would pull out troops.
Canada has resettled 26,735 of the 40,000 Afghans it has pledged to bring to the country, as of Dec. 14.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air Canada union head says she'll resign if pilots reject deal
The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she'll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
2 suspended from U.S. college swim team after report of slur scratched onto student's body
At least two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have been suspended from the swim team after a report that a racial slur was scratched onto a student's body, officials said.
How does your health measure up? Criticism of long-time tool used to track progress
Body mass index, a long-time tool used to measure a person's health, may soon be out the door as some health professionals push for a system they say is more accurate.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, makes first public appearance after cancer treatment
Kate, the Princess of Wales, made her first public appearance Sunday since she announced she had completed chemotherapy and would return to some public duties.
Challengers make gains in banking, but it's a long road to higher market share
It鈥檚 not easy going up against Canada鈥檚 banking oligopoly, but some are trying.
North Carolina's Robinson, omitted from Trump rally, avoids comment on report about online posts
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson avoided directly weighing in during a gubernatorial campaign event Saturday on a CNN report outlining evidence that he made disturbing posts on a pornography website's message board more than a decade ago.
Netanyahu considering plan to force all Palestinian civilians out of northern Gaza to besiege Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a plan to force all Palestinian civilians out of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, in order to lay siege to Hamas and force the release of hostages.
'Hubris and greed': Takeaways from the first week of U.S. Coast Guard inquiry into the Titan submersible disaster
More than a year after the Titan submersible imploded, killing all five voyagers on board, the story of the ill-fated expedition to the Titanic has taken the form of a modern-day Greek tragedy overflowing with mortal pride and heedlessness.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.