Mr. Mendicino was immigration minister during the scramble to save Afghans vulnerable to the Taliban almost two years ago, when the fundamentalist regime came to power. On Wednesday, his office would not say whether he would appear, saying they were awaiting further details.The committee agreement to study the issue comes six months after Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner first called for a probe.
Ms. McPhedran has defended her actions, saying her office sent hundreds of Afghans the documents, called visa facilitation letters, in good faith. The letters were not themselves visas but said individuals named on them had been granted a visa. They were created by Ottawa to try and ensure access for eligible Afghans to the Kabul airport. In an affidavit filed as part of a related lawsuit, Ms. McPhedran said she believed she had been authorized to use the documents.
The February affidavit from Ms. McPhedran said the senator’s office received a template of two visa facilitation letters from George Young, who was Mr. Sajjan’s chief of staff during the scramble in the summer of 2021 to rescue Afghans at risk of the Taliban. She said her office thenThe original motion from Ms. Rempel Garner included a summons for Mr. Young to testify along with Laura Robinson, who worked with Ms. McPhedran.