Glad to escape 'jail for Afghan people,' but family faces more uncertainty after arriving in Manitoba
CBC
A confusing and chaotic journey has come to an end for one Afghan family after they arrived in southwestern Manitoba last week.
But they now face more uncertainty, after initially being told they would be settled in Winnipeg — and instead being driven three hours west to Brandon following their arrival at Winnipeg's airport on Dec. 29.
One member of the family, who are now quarantining in a temporary home in Brandon, told CBC News that while she wonders what comes next for her, her husband, her four children and her brother-in-law, she's glad to be in Canada.
"I am really, really happy and thankful that the people of Canada, the government of Canada — they supported me a lot and they provided me this opportunity to be here now," said the woman.
CBC News has agreed not to name her due to concern for the safety of family members still in Afghanistan.
As the family begins to think about starting their lives over in a new place, far from their connections, the woman said she hopes she made the right decision coming to Canada.
Her home country has become "a jail for Afghan people," she said, since the Taliban overthrew the government in Kabul, where she lived and worked with international organizations advocating for women in sports, including one based in Canada.
Children were not allowed to go to school, and it was difficult for women to leave their homes.
Now that she is in Brandon, the woman and her family face a different challenge — the prairie winter.
"It would be really difficult to go out in such extreme cold weather," she said.
She and her family had been trying since August to come to Canada, after they received letters from the Canadian government offering to bring them to this country.
But due to the chaos surrounding the Kabul airport as people tried to flee, they were unable to get on a plane.
For months, the family mostly hid inside their house while they communicated with Canadian officials, including Laura Robinson, who works as a consultant with Manitoba Sen. Marilou McPhedran.
On Oct. 2, the family received an email from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada telling them their application had been approved under the federal government's special immigration program for those who helped Canadian efforts in Afghanistan.
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