August 24, 2021

Treaty 1 Territory, Homeland of the Métis Nation, Winnipeg MB— Today the Manitoba NDP stood with Manitobans who have friends and family in Afghanistan to call on the PC government to take immediate action to settle refugees in Manitoba and increase supports to veterans.

“Manitobans want to do their part to help welcome Afghan refugees to Manitoba” said NDP MLA for Concordia, Matt Wiebe. “But so far the province hasn’t put forward a plan to get these families to Manitoba. There is no time to waste – the Immigration Minister needs to commit today to fast-tracking the settlement of Afghan refugees so we can do our part as a province to address this horrible crisis.”

The Manitoba NDP is calling on the PCs to work with the Federal government to bring Afghan refugees to Manitoba and use the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program to help fast-track applications. The NDP is also calling on the PC government to invest settlement support services for refugee families. Additionally, the NDP is asking the PCs to increase mental-health supports for veterans and services members who served in Afghanistan.

“Many Manitobans served in Afghanistan to protect people there, especially women and girls, who are now in grave danger,” said NDP critic for Veteran's Affairs Nahanni Fontaine. “Every level of government has a moral responsibility to support Afghan women and girls’ safety. The PCs need to acknowledge this crisis is triggering for our veterans and service members who served in Afghanistan and invest in increased supports for them and their families.”