Sajjan's office won't say if he intervened for other Afghan groups, cites privacy
Minister of International Development Harjit Sajjan prepares to appear at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, studying the government's response to the final report on the Special Committee on Afghanistan, in Ottawa, on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Justin Tang / CTV News)
The federal Liberals won't say whether former defence minister Harjit Sajjan intervened on behalf of any other groups trying to flee Afghanistan when Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021.
Sajjan has said he used "appropriate" channels to relay information to the Canadian Armed Forces about the whereabouts of a group of more than 200 Afghan Sikhs who were trapped.
A spokeswoman for Sajjan, who is now emergency preparedness minister, says it is standard practice to protect the privacy and security of vulnerable groups.
She says that means she cannot provide details about the evacuation attempts, including whether Sajjan intervened on their behalf.
But Sajjan's office does say that at the time of Canada's evacuation efforts, the minister, his staff and department officials were receiving many requests for assistance.
Sajjan says he relayed information he was given about the Sikh group, which had been unable to connect directly with the military, and that at no time did he instruct the forces to prioritize their rescue over anyone else's.
In addition to facilitating the departure of Canadians and Afghan citizens who had aided Canada, western countries tried to help other groups determined to be risk of persecution by the Taliban, including women leaders, human-rights defenders, journalists and religious minorities.
Defence chief Gen. Wayne Eyre said in a recent interview that the military was following "legal orders" when it tried rescuing the group of Afghan Sikhs, as they were on a list of groups for which the government approved assistance.
A parliamentary committee that probed Canada's evacuation efforts ultimately found the evacuation process was bogged down by bureaucracy and challenged by the fact Canada was one of the first countries to remove its embassy staff, leaving those trying to leave Afghanistan with less help.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2024.
IN DEPTH
'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.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
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
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
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
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
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 星空传媒
Greg Fertuck will spend life behind bars with no chance of parole until he is 90 years old, a judge ruled on Thursday at Saskatoon's Court of King's Bench.
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
Britain's Labour on track for landslide victory, exit poll suggests, amid anger with Conservatives
Britain's Labour Party headed for a landslide victory Friday in a parliamentary election, an exit poll suggested, as voters punished the governing Conservatives after 14 years of economic and political upheaval.
Saskatchewan has the lowest hourly minimum wage. How does it stack up to the rest of Canada?
Hourly minimum wages increased in several Canadian provinces this spring with more on the horizon, which economists say will likely impact workers and businesses differently.
Trying to sell or buy a home this summer? What a realtor says you should know
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As receipts tick ever higher for Canadians at the grocery store and shoppers continue to search for savings, one Canadian grocer has ended a perceived deal.
Hurricane Beryl churns toward Mexico after leaving destruction in Jamaica and eastern Caribbean
After leaving a trail of destruction across the eastern Caribbean and at least nine people dead, Hurricane Beryl weakened as it chugged over open water toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Thursday, going from the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic to Category 2 by the afternoon.
CSIS director David Vigneault stepping down after seven years on the job
David Vigneault says he is stepping down from his job at the head of Canada鈥檚 spy agency. The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who spent seven years at the helm, is leaving the public service altogether.
Biden tells Democratic governors he needs more sleep and plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m.
U.S. President Joe Biden told Democratic governors during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday that part of his plan going forward is to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so that he can get more sleep, according to three sources briefed on his comments.
Canada
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An 85-year-old driver who seemingly attempted to run down three teens in a shocking caught-on-camera incident in Abbotsford, B.C., could be charged with assault with a weapon, according to authorities.
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Disappointment lingers over the property of a Riverside couple that was told to remove landscaping from their front lawn after a resident complained that it doesn鈥檛 conform to the city鈥檚 public right-of-way encroachment bylaws.
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A wrestling fan from Guelph, Ont. thought he was down for the count after winning tickets to a 鈥渙nce-in-a-lifetime鈥 WWE event in Toronto.
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In the wake of the legal challenge to Bill 21 on the secular nature of the State, Quebec Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette has asked Supreme Court Justice Mahmud Jamal to recuse himself, fearing that he "does not have the impartiality required to hear this case."
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A Toronto woman who had been searching for her biological parents since she was a child finally has the answers she longed for at the age of 77.
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Saskatchewan has the lowest hourly minimum wage. How does it stack up to the rest of Canada?
Hourly minimum wages increased in several Canadian provinces this spring with more on the horizon, which economists say will likely impact workers and businesses differently.
World
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Biden tells Democratic governors he needs more sleep and plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m.
U.S. President Joe Biden told Democratic governors during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday that part of his plan going forward is to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so that he can get more sleep, according to three sources briefed on his comments.
-
Britain's Labour on track for landslide victory, exit poll suggests, amid anger with Conservatives
Britain's Labour Party headed for a landslide victory Friday in a parliamentary election, an exit poll suggested, as voters punished the governing Conservatives after 14 years of economic and political upheaval.
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White House now says Biden was seen by his doctor days after debate
U.S. President Joe Biden was examined by his physician in the days following last week鈥檚 CNN presidential debate, the White House tells CNN 鈥 despite the White House press secretary having said Wednesday that the president has had no medical exams since his February physical.
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Parisian cafes are a cherished part of French culture. Here's why they might be in trouble
Across France and especially in Paris, hospitality is one of the industries that is most heavily reliant on immigrant workers.
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Peru's Congress approves statute of limitations for crimes against humanity committed before 2002
Peru's Congress on Thursday passed a law establishing a statute of limitations for crimes against humanity committed before 2002, a decision that human rights organizations have warned could encourage impunity and thwart investigations into serious abuses.
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Vatican chief of staff testifies in U.K finance trial, points finger at deputy who escaped unscathed
Pope Francis' chief of staff became one of the highest-ranking Holy See officials to testify in a foreign court Thursday, telling a British tribunal about the negotiations at the heart of the Vatican's so-called 'trial of the century,' admitting he filed a false invoice and pointing a finger at his one-time deputy who escaped the scandal unscathed.
Politics
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CSIS director David Vigneault stepping down after seven years on the job
David Vigneault says he is stepping down from his job at the head of Canada鈥檚 spy agency. The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, who spent seven years at the helm, is leaving the public service altogether.
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Canada to host the 70th annual NATO session in Montreal
Canada will host the 70th annual session of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly from Nov. 22 to 25 in Montreal, Que.
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Conservatives paid $8.5M on advertising in 2023, trouncing Liberals, NDP
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Health
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A brand of instant noodles sold in B.C., Alberta and Ontario has been recalled due to undeclared peanut in the ingredients 鈥 posing a potential allergy risk to consumers.
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Kris Jenner learns her ovaries will need to be removed because of tumour on 'The Kardashians'
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Popular weight loss and diabetes drugs linked to increased risk of rare form of blindness
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Sci-Tech
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High-speed hippos can get airborne, says new study
Hippos can get airborne when moving at high speeds over land, according to a new study.
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60 million-year-old seeds reveal that dinosaur extinction paved the way for grapes
Grapes have been intertwined with the story of humanity for millennia, providing the basis for wines produced by our ancestors thousands of years ago 鈥 but that may not have been the case if dinosaurs hadn鈥檛 disappeared from the planet, according to new research.
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Marine mammal rescuers in British Columbia are searching for an entangled humpback whale in the waters off northern Vancouver Island.
Entertainment
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Grammy award-winning musician Jennifer Gasoi said being locked out of her Facebook page, thanks to a phishing scam, is affecting her ability to do her work and connect with her fans.
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Director accused in French cinema's #MeToo wave charged with rape and assault of actors
A prominent French film director has been handed preliminary charges of rape, sexual assault and violence by a French judge investigating a case involving female actors, the Paris prosecutor's office said Thursday.
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Judge clears way for Alec Baldwin to go to trial next week after last-minute efforts to toss 'Rust' case fail
A New Mexico judge has cleared the way for the prosecution of Alec Baldwin next week, refusing the latest in a series of attempts by the actor and his legal team to have his criminal case connected to the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the 2021 set of the film 'Rust' dismissed.
Business
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Trying to sell or buy a home this summer? What a realtor says you should know
In the first few weeks of summer, the real estate sector is experiencing an upturn marked by more housing inventory, a Canadian realtor says
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'Marriage of convenience': Hudson's Bay Co. buying Neiman Marcus for US$2.65B
Several North American department stores are joining forces under a deal that will see Hudson's Bay Co. buy Neiman Marcus and spin it out into a larger business along with some of its other prestige retailers.
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'A way to leapfrog': Amazon executive says regulated industries moving fastest on AI
As a wave of companies rush to embed artificial intelligence into their operations, Matt Wood has noticed the technology's fastest adopters are businesses more typically described as slow to change.
Lifestyle
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A Toronto woman who had been searching for her biological parents since she was a child finally has the answers she longed for at the age of 77.
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The son of Asia's richest man is getting married in one of India's most anticipated -- and lavish -- weddings of the year
Billionaire heir Anant Ambani is set to marry his longtime girlfriend Radhika Merchant later this month, in a lavish ceremony widely described as the country's wedding of the year.
-
Parisian cafes are a cherished part of French culture. Here's why they might be in trouble
Across France and especially in Paris, hospitality is one of the industries that is most heavily reliant on immigrant workers.
Sports
-
Bertoletti, Sudo win top dog honors at Nathan's Famous power-eating contest, absent longtime champ
Patrick Bertoletti gobbled up 58 hot dogs to win his first men's title Thursday at the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, taking advantage of the absence of the event's biggest star.
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Ryan Garcia expelled by WBC after using racial slurs in livestream
Ryan Garcia was expelled by the World Boxing Council on Thursday after he repeatedly used racial slurs against Black people and disparaged Muslims in comments livestreamed on social media.
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Novak Djokovic grinds out a victory over wild card Jacob Fearnley at Wimbledon
Novak Djokovic says he wouldn't have been surprised if his second-round match against young Jacob Fearnley at Wimbledon went to a fifth set, but he's 'very glad it didn't.'
Autos
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CDK Global says 'substantially all' dealers are back online after a crippling hack
CDK Global said 'substantially all' of the nearly 15,000 car dealerships that use its software across North America are back online to its core management system, almost two weeks since a cyber incident caused a software blackout.
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Faulty brakes, airbag systems: Here are the cars recalled in Canada
Transport Canada recalled various vehicles over the last week, including Kia, Toyota, Volkswagen and Porsche cars.
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It used to be cash was king and that you could get a better deal if you paid for a car in full, but now many dealers want you to finance your purchase so they can make more money.
Local Spotlight
Lacey may look like just another pet chicken on Emily Carrington鈥檚 B.C. property. But she has a title her coop mates don鈥檛: Guinness World Record holder.
Philip Kim, who competes as "B-Boy Phil Wizard," is set to make Canadian sports history this summer as the country's first-ever Olympic breaking athlete.
A new documentary filmed in Nova Scotia by marine biologist and veterinarian Dr. Chris Harvey Clark explores the increased number of white shark observations in Canadian waters.
A never-before-lived-in mansion in Whistler is on the market for $17.9 million 鈥 with the listing describing it as a 'steal for the international buyer' due to the current exchange rate, which puts the price in U.S. dollars at $13.1 million.
Irish singer Niall Horan had to ditch his car and walk to Scotiabank Arena where his concert was being held last weekend because the traffic was 'too bad' downtown.
A rave at the Ontario Science Centre was the place where Greg LeBlanc says his relationship first began with his husband Mark in 1997.
Travellers watch as WestJet cancels flights with no end to mechanics strike in sight
Travellers flying with WestJet continue to watch as the airline cancels more flights due to a sudden strike by its mechanics union.
An unknown Newfoundland soldier killed in the First World War is being laid to rest
The remains of a soldier from Newfoundland killed in the battlefields of France during the First World War will be laid to rest in St. John's Monday, bringing an emotional end to a years-long effort in a place still shaken and forever changed by the bloodshed.
The city is entering the final stages of resuming water service through its repaired feeder main, as water consumption continues to fall below the city鈥檚 threshold level.
-
A father living in an RV in B.C.鈥檚 Fraser Valley with his toddler for more than a year has become even more desperate to find housing after facing a tragic loss.
-
Cleanup is underway in Abbotsford after spilled firefighting foam ended up in a local creek Wednesday night.
-
Vancouver鈥檚 magnificent mountain vistas will be front and centre at city hall next week, when councillors will debate whether to ease view protection rules to make room for more construction.
-
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
-
Two Toronto city councillors are asking staff to develop a rats reduction strategy by the latter half of next year to deal with infestations, but some say the problem needs immediate action.
-
Three suspects are at-large after a woman and her child were carjacked in Mississauga on Wednesday.
-
Calgary is no longer under a state of local emergency.
-
Simon Nash spent days scrambling to clean and collect extra children's play equipment after thieves got away with a custom-made portable playground.
-
A Calgary taekwondo instructor is facing child pornography charges.
-
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
-
Veteran broadcaster Patricia Boal has been named anchor of CTV News at Six, CTV News Ottawa announced Thursday.
-
The Almonte General Hospital is reportedly experiencing another loss of services.
-
The Montreal fire service said its inspectors were refused access to do a safety check at the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University on Thursday.
-
Montreal police are investigating after a man was attacked with a blunt object in an alley near the Mont-Royal metro station in the Plateau.
-
In the wake of the legal challenge to Bill 21 on the secular nature of the State, Quebec Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette has asked Supreme Court Justice Mahmud Jamal to recuse himself, fearing that he "does not have the impartiality required to hear this case."
-
The senior accused of shooting a St. Albert teen has been denied bail.
-
Two insurance providers in Alberta have announced plans to stop offering automobile insurance to customers in the province.
-
An Edmonton woman says she's losing hope as her husband has been left waiting for months to see an oncologist after being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer this spring.
-
A shelter in place order issued in Fredericton Thursday has been lifted.
-
A suspected shark sighting caused a popular Nova Scotia beach to close temporarily Thursday.
-
Nova Scotia Parks says Portuguese man o' war have been spotted on Atlantic coastal beaches recently.
-
Manitoba Hydro may needs billions of dollars worth of upgrades for aging infrastructure.
-
The search continues for two missing fishers who never returned home from a hunting trip.
-
A West St. Paul home is a total loss after it went up in flames Thursday.
-
The Government of Saskatchewan has filed an injunction in light of the federal government sending the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) after the province鈥檚 bank account, Premier Scott Moe said on Thursday.
-
Because of heavy rain and cooler conditions in parts of the province, crop development is falling behind normal for this time of year.
-
A water treatment plant nearly a decade in the making is now up and running on the Star Blanket Cree Nation.
-
A wrestling fan from Guelph, Ont. thought he was down for the count after winning tickets to a 鈥渙nce-in-a-lifetime鈥 WWE event in Toronto.
-
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
-
A Good Samaritan is stepping up to help a senior after his Cambridge apartment flooded, destroying most of his belongings.
-
Greg Fertuck will spend life behind bars with no chance of parole until he is 90 years old, a judge ruled on Thursday at Saskatoon's Court of King's Bench.
-
A Saskatoon man is recovering in hospital after falling three storeys off the roof of a downtown building on Canada Day.
-
A leaked document reveals a Saskatoon city councillor's involvement at a private Christian school embroiled in abuse allegations.
-
The driver of a commercial motor vehicle has been charged after police noticed something dangling underneath the vehicle.
-
One suspect from Sudbury and two from southern Ontario have been charged after a group of masked people broke into a home on Colonial Court early Wednesday morning.
-
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
-
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
-
On Thursday, over a hundred Londoners attended a 鈥榖ridge party鈥 to celebrate completion of the new span over the Thames River connecting the Old South neighbourhood to the downtown.
-
A tight-knit Huron County community remains in disbelief after learning a 13-year-old local boy has been charged with first-degree murder. The age of the accused, confirmed by the court, has sent shockwaves through the village of Holmesville.
-
One person is in the hospital following a tractor-trailer rollover on a ramp to Highway 400 late Thursday afternoon.
-
Police say the death of a man found in a grassy area near a Highway 400 ramp in Barrie late last month is not considered suspicious.
-
The province's Special Investigations Unit is investigating a fatal crash in Springwater Township.
-
Thousands of employees with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario are set to walk off their jobs on Friday as the union says 'talks have broken down' and it is not hopeful that a deal will be reached to avert a strike.
-
Disappointment lingers over the property of a Riverside couple that was told to remove landscaping from their front lawn after a resident complained that it doesn鈥檛 conform to the city鈥檚 public right-of-way encroachment bylaws.
-
The Chatham-Kent Barnstormers have been swinging for the fences in their debut season 鈥 and the community appears to be behind them.
-
A Greater Victoria man has been arrested and released from custody after police seized several guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and four and a half kilograms of cocaine from a home in Langford, B.C., last week.
-
It may not be on most people's minds, but COVID-19 is on the rise again in B.C.
-
A British Columbia seismologist says there's nothing dangerous or unusual about a recent flurry of earthquake activity off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
-
Mounties are urging the public to be vigilant following a suspected gang shooting in B.C.'s southern Interior that left a 40-year-old man injured this week.
-
British Columbia residents are being told to brace for a coming heat wave that could send temperatures into the high 30s and beyond, with the government reminding people to check in on their neighbours.
-
A swath of B.C.鈥檚 southern Interior is being told to brace for potential severe thunderstorms Tuesday.
-
Nearly 2,000 athletes will compete in 20 events over four days during the 2024 Southern Alberta Sumer Games. After months of planning, organizers are thrilled to welcome families from all over southern Alberta to Coaldale, Alta.
-
One of two men accused of conspiring to kill Mounties at the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., characterized the protest as a last stand and told his mother there 鈥渨ill be a war鈥 if police moved in.
-
With the recent moisture and cooler temperatures, fire bans and restrictions in the Lethbridge area are no longer in effect.
-
A federal appeals hearing ended Thursday involving three homeowners from Elliot Lake, Ont., seeking to have radioactive rock removed from their homes.
-
The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service recently welcomed three new constables to its 鈥減olice family.鈥
-
Sault Ste. Marie native and four-time Stanley Cup champion Marty Pavelich has died.
N.L.
-
Newfoundland and Labrador premier takes aim at Ottawa over reopened cod fishery
Newfoundland and Labrador's Liberal premier is once again opposing a decision made by the federal Liberals 鈥 this time about the reopening of the province's commercial northern cod fishery.
-
Evacuation order lifted in central Labrador after wildfires forced them to flee
There was relief in central Labrador Wednesday night as officials lifted a wildfire evacuation order, allowing people to return to their homes in Churchill Falls two weeks after they were asked to flee.
-
Newfoundland and Labrador fishers say commercial cod fishery should not reopen
The union representing inshore fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador is calling on the federal government to reverse its recent decision to reopen the commercial Northern cod fishery.
