Ottawa vows to get Afghan interpreters to Canada 'as quickly as possible' but the U.S. is moving faster

Interpreters who helped the Canadian military during the war in Afghanistan should be flown to Canada and resettled here as soon as possible, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said today.

"People who have worked for Canada, who therefore absolutely have the right to come to Canada, should be getting on those planes as quickly as possible," Freeland told a news conference in Selwyn Township, Ont.

"Our desire is to move very, very quickly with this process."

Freeland's comments come after a day of panic and confusion among theinterpreters and other Afghans who worked with the Canadian military during its 13-year mission in Afghanistan.

Ottawa announced last week that it would open a new program to resettle those workers in Canada in the hopes of protecting them from the Taliban, which is quickly reclaiming territory and putting pressure on key cities across Afghanistan.

But on Wednesday, prospective applicants received emails and information packages that indicated they would have only three days to apply for the program and escape the country.

The applications require the submission ofseveral pages of online forms and the digitization of sensitive documents for each applicant and their family members.

WATCH | Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Canada's commitment to resettle Afghan interpreters:

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government 'recognizes' its responsibility to Afghan interpreters

3 years ago

Duration 2:07

Freeland says the government is working out the logistics for resettling in Canada the Afghan interpreters who supported soldiers and journalists in Afghanistan

Former soldiers and advocates for Afghan interpreters said the deadline was unreasonable, in part because much of Afghanistanhas no reliable electricity or access to the internet.

Hours after the information packages went out, the federal government saidthat the three-day deadline was not firm and it would follow up with applicants who received misleading information. The government says no applications will be rejected for missing the three-day window.

Some Afghan workers could arrive in U.S.today

The United States appears to be moving faster than Canada onits own project to resettle Afghan interpreters now facing Talibanreprisals.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinkentolda news conference in Kuwait today thatAfghans who assisted U.S.military and diplomatic missions will start to arrive in the U.S. "very, very soon."

ABC News has reported that the first flight carrying the endangered workers is set to arrive late Thursday or early Friday morning.

Washington is also negotiatingwith Kuwait and other countries to temporarily house Afghans while their immigration applications are processed.

"The United States is committed to helping those who helped us during our time in Afghanistan over the last 20 years," Blinken said. "We're actively engaged in that process and notably in relocation planning for those brave Afghans and their families."

The U.S. has said it will resettle up to 35,000 Afghans. Experts closely following the program say the first people set to arrive on U.S. soil are those who already havecompleted the bulk of their applications.

"This is a drop in the bucket," said Chris Purdy, a U.S.army veteran who now works with the advocacy group Human Rights First."It's a welcome first step,but it's certainwe have a long way to go."

WATCH |Howard Coombs,who served in Afghanistan, urges government to helpinterpreters:

Canada must act swiftly to resettle Afghan interpreters, says vet

3 years ago

Duration 8:19

Howard Coombs, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute who served in Afghanistan, told CBC's Power & Politics that Canada 'should have acted more decisively several weeks ago' to help Afghan interpreters and others to get out of Afghanistan as the Taliban continues to acquire more control over the country.

'Conflicting guidance'

DespiteOttawa's about-face onthe three-day deadline, those who worked alongside Afghan interpreters say the damage has already been done.

"I'm shaking my head," said retired captain and Afghanistan war veteran Corey Shelson. "People who are in a war zone, who don't have steady access to the internet, who in most cases don't have a laptop ... we're providing them conflicting guidance."

Shelsonspeculated that the email sent to prospective applicants was a draft sent in error. Thegovernment itself has not said why people were told initiallythey had only three days to apply.

Freeland said the mix-up does not reflect Canada's desire to support theAfghans who worked alongside Canadian soldiers.

"Let me say to all of the people in Afghanistan who worked to support the important work that the government of Canada was doing there we are very, very grateful for your work and we absolutely recognize the responsibility we have towards you and your families," she said.

Ottawa has said it expects several thousand Afghan workers and their families will resettle in Canada through the program.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole said the government's actions don't suggesta genuine desire to help people in danger.

"Canadians and these brave Afghans can't afford more of this incompetence from Liberals," he said in a statement.

"Canada's Conservatives are calling on the Liberal government to do the right and only thing extend the deadline for these Afghans and their families to apply to come to Canada."