Getting Canadian aid to Afghanistan can only happen with Criminal Code changes: officials – National | Globalnews.ca
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Federal government officials say Parliament would need to amend the Criminal Code for Canadian humanitarians to be allowed to help in Afghanistan.
Senior public servants told the Senate human-rights committee Monday evening that they have spent a year trying to see if there is any workaround in Canada’s anti-terrorism laws.
Those laws forbid Canadians from purchasing goods in Afghanistan or hiring locals, as taxes paid to the Taliban might be considered contributions to a terror group, despite humanitarian crises in that country.
Other western countries amended their laws or issued exemptions for aid groups as long as a year ago, but officials testified that Canada’s laws are outdated and provide little wiggle room.
![Click to play video: '1 year under Taliban rule: What has changed in Afghanistan?'](https://i1.wp.com/media.globalnews.ca/videostatic/news/9vl5x3myen-lrb1y5jspk/MO_AFGHANISTAN_VMS.jpg?w=1040&quality=70&strip=all)
Constitutional lawyers have argued the existing laws are contradictory and would not have aid workers sent to prison.
But the officials say a judge would need to rule on that, most likely after an aid worker is charged with a criminal offence.
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