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Afghan interpreters demand Ottawa keep promise to help endangered family members

OTTAWA — Dozens of Afghan interpreters who worked with sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½'s military gathered on Parliament Hill to demand the federal government help their family members.
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Former Afghanistan interpreters begin a hunger strike on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The group who helped the Canadian military say the federal government has lied to them about bringing family members to sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, and that people have died while waiting for paperwork to be processed.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Dozens of Afghan interpreters who worked with sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½'s military gathered on Parliament Hill to demand the federal government help their family members.

The government introduced a special immigration stream in December to bring the families of Afghan interpreters to sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½. 

The move followed pressure from interpreters, refugee advocates and veterans for the government to do more to help people endangered for their links to sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½.

But while hundreds of family members have applied to the program, the interpreters say none have actually made it sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½. 

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has said the government is facing unprecedented logistical challenges getting people out of Afghanistan.

However, he says it has a moral obligation to make good on the commitment to help the families of Afghan interpreters. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2022.

The Canadian Press