COMMENTARY: Canada is belatedly doing right by our Afghan allies — but why did it take this long?

The operation “moral obligation” gets thrown astir a lot, but it’s hard to deliberation of a much apt manifestation of its meaning than the lawsuit of the Afghan interpreters who are successful sedate peril arsenic a effect of their assistance to Canadian troops.

In different words, they were determination for america and it is our crook to measurement up and beryllium determination for them.

It’s unfortunate that this constituent wasn’t evident to the national authorities overmuch sooner, but they are belatedly doing the close thing. It’s not excessively precocious to prevention these folks.

It is simply a tragic commentary connected the concern successful Afghanistan that this substance present has specified urgency. After truthful overmuch wealth spent and humor spilled to support the Taliban astatine bay, the Taliban is present asserting power implicit overmuch of Afghanistan. They are precise funny successful taking revenge connected those they presumption to beryllium “traitors” and “apostates.”

Perhaps it does correspond a corporate nonaccomplishment that our Afghan allies are nary longer harmless successful their ain country. There volition beryllium plentifulness of clip for lamenting and dissecting each of that, but close present the absorption needs to beryllium connected redeeming their lives.

After weeks of unit connected Ottawa, the feds yet relented past week and announced plans for a caller “path to protection” for Afghans who worked intimately with Canadian troops — that would see interpreters, obviously, but besides those who worked arsenic advisers, information guards, cooks, cleaners and drivers. Between those individuals and their families, it could beryllium thousands who are eligible.

That, however, represents immoderate sizeable logistical challenges erstwhile it comes to identifying, locating and evacuating people. Given that American troops are to retreat astatine the extremity of August, clip is surely of the essence here.

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There is understandably a request for immoderate secrecy astir these plans, fixed the information issues involved. Still, though, the authorities was alternatively scant connected details. Canadians merit to cognize much astir however this is each going to enactment and what the likelihood of occurrence is.

The attack up until precocious was to simply let Afghan civilians to use to immigrate to Canada, but that was intelligibly insufficient fixed our indebtedness to these individuals. There person besides been assorted grassroots efforts involving veterans’ groups to assistance Afghans fly the state oregon astatine slightest get to a safer concern wrong Afghanistan.

Ultimately, though, this is thing that demands authorities leadership.

Beyond the motivation work we person to assistance prevention the lives of our Afghan allies, it is successful Canada’s self-interest to show our willingness to enactment those who person supported us. Canadian soldiers who are deployed overseas are going to person to beryllium connected locals who tin enactment arsenic interpreters oregon successful different roles.

If we were to basal by and sacrifice our Afghan colleagues to the Taliban, that would nonstop a connection astir the satellite astir the perils of helping Canada.

This volition beryllium a challenging effort, but it is 1 we person to do. The circumstances that necessitate this person been evident for immoderate time, and it’s frustrating that we’ve wasted truthful galore weeks. That said, this announcement, portion overdue, is bully news.

While a antithetic result successful Afghanistan would person been preferred, we should invited these caller Canadians with unfastened arms. It’s the slightest we tin do.

Rob Breakenridge is big of “Afternoons with Rob Breakenridge” connected Global News Radio 770 Calgary and a commentator for Global News.