Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Well, senator, thank you for your question and for underlining the ongoing challenges and problems that are facing those in Afghanistan.

With respect, the government is not playing political games. It is dealing with it as best it can. The government has been monitoring the situation closely. Canadian Armed Forces personnel were present in Afghanistan from early 2021 to monitor the situation on the ground. Canada was part of an air bridge with allies that saved as many people as it could throughout the difficult circumstances. The Armed Forces worked around the clock to evacuate as many people as possible for so long as conditions permitted, saving thousands of people under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

We did not evacuate as many people as we would have liked to in August. The government is committed to exercising all of its available options to evacuate Canadians and our Afghan allies via land or air. I have finally been advised that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is in close contact with our allies and other countries in the region to help get as many people out as possible.