OTTAWA —
The government announced Friday it secured 500 seats on a U.S. plane, which has already extracted individuals fleeing the turmoil in Afghanistan.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino made the announcement a day after Canada said its military evacuation mission had ceased, with the last Canadian plane having left the Kabul airport tarmac Thursday.
“Even though our military have now concluded the evacuation, we are continuing to work tirelessly with our allies and our partners in the region to pursue every option to get the people we need to get out of Afghanistan,” he said while providing an update on Canada’s efforts to support Afghan and Canadian nationals who remain in the country.
“Yesterday we secured approximately 500 seats on an American airlift and they are now safely out of Kabul.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau later clarified that the evacuated individuals were both Canadian and Afghan nationals, and said that Canada had previously reserved space on planes for those requested by allies.
“It really has been a group effort to do this. At this point, in the operations that are in place at the moment in Kabul airport, the effort right now is to wrap things up and to bring out those who are still there — primarily marines and British soldiers,” he said Friday taking questions from reporters.
Mendicino added that the government will continue to push the U.S. to evacuate more.
Officials said yesterday that Canada has evacuated approximately 3,700 individuals to date, which includes 2,000 Afghans. Compared to other NATO countries, Canada sits behind Germany and Italy regarding the total number of refugees withdrawn by a member state.
Canada’s special immigration pathway remains open to Afghan nationals, and their families, who assisted the Canadian military during their mission in Afghanistan.
Mendicino said visas will remain valid among those who haven’t yet fled and that the government continues to process “applications around the clock.”
He also noted that the government will waive application fees for: Afghans with a valid confirmation of permanent residence who are outside of Canada, but who can’t get a passport or travel document; Afghans already in Canada who are seeking an extension or restoration of their temporary residence status; and Canadian citizens, permanent residents and families in Afghanistan who are in a third country en route to Canada.
Asked what advice they’re giving to people who remain trapped, Garneau said because they’re in the “final transition” of phase one of the operation, they’re asking that individuals “stay in place” at the moment to see how the situation unfolds, but if they can make it to a “third country” diplomats may be able to help.
He also said negotiations are underway with the Taliban, which seized control of the country after the U.S. began withdrawing troops, about resuming regular flights out of the Kabul airport so that those who want to leave still can in the coming months.
Garneau said negotiations are underway with the Taliban, which seized control of the country after the U.S. began withdrawing troops, about resuming regular flights out of the Kabul airport so that those who want to leave still can in the coming months.
“We don’t know whether that will happen or when it will happen but the argument is being presented that it’s in the advantage of the country to have an open airport because it’s a landlocked country,” he said.
David Sproul, Canada’s envoy to Afghanistan, is in Doha, Qatar to engage with allies and regional partners on the ground while representing Canada’s point of view in talks, Garneau noted.
Meanwhile, International Development Minister Karina Gould laid out steps being made by the government to meet humanitarian needs locally.
“We have very experienced humanitarian partners who will remain on the ground to help deliver much-needed humanitarian assistance, naturally their current focus is on ensuring the safety and security of their own employees as they continue to carry out this important work,” she said.
Gould said upholding women’s rights across Afghanistan – a key pillar of the 20-year mission there – is a top concern for the government.
“We are deeply, deeply disturbed and concerned by the fact the Taliban is back in control in Afghanistan and what that means for women. We have been very clear that women’s rights is a red line for us and it’s something that I’ve spoke to all our G7 counterparts on,” she said.
On Thursday, Global Affairs Canada issued a press release stating that Canada would send $50 million to help groups, including the World Food Programme and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, deliver support to Afghans in need.
Each minister reflected on the suicide attack at the Kabul airport on Thursday that killed more than 100 Afghans and 13 U.S. military personnel.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darcy Kuemper made 16 saves for his first shutout of the season and 32nd overall, helping the Los Angeles Kings beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Monday night.
Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala also scored. The Kings have won two of their last three.
Juuse Saros made 24 saves for the Predators. They are 1-2-1 in their last four.
Kopitar opened the scoring with 6:36 remaining in the opening period. Saros denied the Kings captain’s first shot, but Kopitar collected the rebound below the goal line and banked it off the netminder’s skate.
Fiala, a former Predator, made it 2-0 35 seconds into the third.
The Kings held Nashville to just three third-period shots on goal, the first coming with 3:55 remaining and Saros pulled for an extra attacker.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
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DEVILS 3 OILERS 0
EDMONTON, Alta. (AP) — Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his NHL career, helping the New Jersey Devils close their western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored. The Devils improved to 8-5-2. They have won three of their last four after a four-game skid.
Calvin Pickard made 13 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers had won two straight.
