OTTAWA -- Canada鈥檚 minister of women and gender equality says her mention of the Taliban as 鈥渙ur brothers鈥� during a press conference Wednesday is a 鈥渃ultural reference,鈥� after receiving criticism for her choice of language.
Maryam Monsef 鈥� who was born in Iran and raised in Afghanistan 鈥� had a direct message for the terrorist group, which has swiftly taken control of most of Afghanistan since the U.S. began withdrawing its troops following a 20-year mission.
鈥淚 want to take this opportunity to speak with our brothers, the Taliban. We call on you to ensure the safe and secure passage of any individual in Afghanistan out of the country. We call on you to immediately stop the violence, the genocide, the femicide, the destruction of infrastructure, including heritage buildings,鈥� she said, speaking alongside colleagues while providing an update about Canada鈥檚 efforts to evacuate Afghans from the country.
When asked later if the term 鈥渂rothers鈥� reflected a softening of the government鈥檚 approach to the Taliban, she responded: 鈥淗ardly.鈥�
鈥淭he Taliban are a terrorist group and yet they claim to be Muslims,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he reference to brothers is a cultural reference of course but let me be very clear, we do not support the Taliban, we are horrified the hard-won gains of the past 20 years are at stake.鈥�
Conservative Leader Erin O鈥橳oole criticized Monsef鈥檚 remarks on Wednesday.
鈥淭he language used by the Trudeau government is completely unacceptable. I think of the women and girls in Afghanistan who are at risk with the Taliban regime once again coming into place. Canadians deserve a government that will always stand up for our values,鈥� O鈥橳oole said.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said last week that he has 鈥渘o plans鈥� to recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government after former president Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
Asked how he plans to negotiate with the group going forward to ensure more citizens can safely leave, Trudeau said Canada is working with the 鈥渋nternational community鈥� to put pressure on them.
Thousands of Afghans continue to flock to the Kabul airport to flee the ruling Taliban as the Aug. 31 evacuation deadline of U.S. troops inches closer.
The Canadian government said on Wednesday the military has extracted more than 2,700 individuals to date and nearly 1,000 have actually set foot in Canada. They did not provide clarity on whether, they too, are aiming for a full retreat of military personnel by the same date.
"[The Americans] must maintain control of the airport until the end of their mission and be the last to leave. Drawing down a mission takes a considerable amount of time. It is not done overnight and it comes with significant risk," Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said.
"We remain dedicated to evacuating as many people as we can in the limited time we have left. This means more Canadians and vulnerable Afghans will be evacuated but it will take some time before we know the exact number."
