The former defence minister tells parliamentary committee he acted out of humanitarian concern and his directives were in line with government policy to help vulnerable groups
Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister Harjit Sajjan listens during a funding announcement in Vancouver, on July 3. As the former defence minister faces questions over his intervention for a group seeking to flee Afghanistan when the Taliban took over in 2021, federal Liberals won't say whether he extended a helping hand to any others.
“Basically anyone who had my number was calling me at that time and just like with any information that was provided to me, I had the responsibility to forward the information,” he told the national defence committee. “Imagine if I had received information and not pushed it forward.” Three military sources who were in Ottawa and on the ground in Kabul told The Globe that the Afghan Sikhs were not considered an operational priority because they had no link to Canada. Mr. Sajjan’s intervention, the military sources say, affected the rescue of Canadians and former Afghans interpreters on Canada’s priority list. The Globe did not identify the sources because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Before his appearance, the heads of the Bhullhar Foundation, Khalsa Aid Canada and World Sikh Organization wrote a letter of support for Mr. Sajjan, expressing “concern that the inquiry is being politicized, unfairly targeting Minister Sajjan’s faith as a basis for questioning his actions.”
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