A lawyer representing a group of six Afghan nationals, including two soccer players who played on the Afghanistan women’s national soccer team, says the women fear that the Taliban will “harm them” or “kill them” if they are not brought to Canada.
According to court documents provided to CTV News, the facilitation letters were issued by Sen. Marilou McPhedran. The senator previously said sheThe identities of the two Afghan women and the other four Afghan nationals Silcoff is representing have been redacted in the court documents provided to CTV News for their safety.
Silcoff told Your Morning that the facilitation letters sent to the soccer players also include a message from FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino, who at the time was working with McPhendran to help issue these letters. CTV News reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment, and was directed to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
But, Lariviere said, these letters did not confer status or rights, and were not valid for travel to Canada. Unless refugees are able to connect with a private sponsor, they can't apply directly to Canada for resettlement.