National Senate Passes Liberal Bill to Unblock Afghan Aid, Awaits Final Approval as Law

The Senate has unanimously passed a bill to facilitate Canadian aid in Afghanistan without any amendments.

The amendments to the Criminal Code aim to allow development workers in Afghanistan to apply for exemptions from terrorism laws. These laws currently criminalize paying taxes to the ruling Taliban, as it is designated as a terrorist group.

The bill also includes a blanket exemption for humanitarian workers who provide life-saving aid during emergencies, as proposed by the Conservatives and NDP in the House of Commons.

This bill’s passage in both chambers of Parliament comes more than a year after many of Canada’s allies issued similar exemptions for aid workers in their own terrorism laws.

While some senators expressed concerns about potential enforcement challenges, the Senate unanimously agreed to pass multiple stages of the bill in one go, ensuring that it will become law before the scheduled summer break.

The government has assured that civil servants will remain unbiased, and rejected applications can be reviewed by courts.

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Amending of Criminal Code needed to give aid groups operating in Afghanistan ‘certainty they need’: Lametti