February 18, 2022 — Ottawa – The Government of Canada is working hard to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals as quickly and safely as possible. Over the past week, 335 government-assisted and privately sponsored Afghan refugees arrived in Canada on 10 commercial flights. They are destined for communities all across Canada, including Calgary, Winnipeg and Sherbrooke. To date, a total of 7,885 Afghan nationals have arrived in Canada.
Arrivals include refugees approved through the special immigration program for Afghans who assisted the Government of Canada, privately sponsored refugees, and refugees referred by the United States, Front Line Defenders and the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Canadians have played an active role in welcoming Afghan refugees in their communities. Since August 2021, Canadians have given more than $1 million; have donated over 200,000 goods, including children’s toys, clothing, and personal care products; and have opened their homes with more than 5,000 offers of temporary accommodations. The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS), a Resettlement Assistance Program service provider (RAP SPO) in Calgary, is coordinating volunteers and donations on behalf of all 34 RAP SPOs across Canada that are welcoming Afghan refugees into their communities.
Examples of the many charitable gestures include:
- The Afghan Network for Social Services, a Toronto non-profit organization, donated 62 children’s gift baskets and 200 articles of children’s clothing to Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services.
- The people of Newfoundland and Labrador responded to news of Afghan arrivals with generous donations of clothing, household items and gift cards to the Association for New Canadians. With the help of corporate donations, the total value of donations has grown to over $100,000 to date.
The resettlement of Afghan refugees is a whole-of-country initiative. Individuals and businesses looking to get involved through volunteering, donating, sponsoring or supporting the wider resettlement efforts can learn more about how Canadians can help.