Canada has welcomed 30,000 Afghan refugees since US withdrawal

Ottawa hopes to take in 40,000 by end of year

Afghan refugees prepare to board buses after arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport in August 2021. Reuters

A charter plane carrying Afghan refugees from Pakistan touched down in Toronto on Wednesday, bringing the total number who have resettled in Canada following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to a little more than 30,000.

“I am proud to mark a significant milestone today in Canada's long-standing humanitarian tradition by welcoming over 30,000 vulnerable Afghans to their new home,” said Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in a statement.

The Canadian military was actively involved in the war in Afghanistan and had troops on the ground for more than a decade, from 2001 to March 2014.

Canada’s combat mission ended in 2011, followed by three years of Nato training and support missions. In total, more than 40,000 Canadians served in the war and 159 died during the decades-long conflict.

The US withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, leaving the Taliban to take over.

Ottawa was heavily criticised for not working to bring more of its interpreters out in the lead-up to the chaotic US withdrawal and was only able to airlift out 3,700 citizens and Afghans who had helped the Canadian missions over the years.

Canada pledged to take in 40,000 Afghans, a number that Mr Fraser said they were still on target to achieve.

“Although the Afghanistan resettlement effort is one of the largest and most difficult in Canada’s history, we remain committed to maximising every opportunity to support these vulnerable Afghans in their transition to a better life in Canada,” he said.

Afghans have settled in 170 communities across Canada, according to the federal government.