Jamail Jushan, an Afghan-Canadian, protests outside of Parliament in Ottawa on Nov. 20.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
Ten years after the Canadian military left Afghanistan, a group of former language and cultural advisers who were an integral part of that mission say the work they did – and the injuries they suffered – deserve much greater recognition from Ottawa.
The Afghan-Canadians, known as LCAs, travelled to the capital Wednesday to press their case to the federal government. It’s a protest that marks the civilian group’s latest effort in a lengthy fight to access the same financial and medical benefits as enlisted soldiers, as well as receive public acknowledgement of their contribution.
“We saved their life, we helped them in the battlefield, and they completely ignore us,” Jamail Jushan, a former adviser, said in an interview.
The LCAs were recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces early in the war against the Taliban to help soldiers make sense of the complicated socio-economic landscape in Afghanistan, and around 80 served over time.
Though they were civilians, they travelled alongside soldiers in the battlefields and into communities, helping not just with translation, but also guiding strategies for how Canada could best to win the support of the Afghan people.
Former LCA Jalaluddin Sayah said that, when Canada formally ended its involvement in Afghanistan in 2014, he was relegated to waiting at the back of the plane and watching from the sidelines as soldiers received a hero’s welcome, while nobody even bothered to tell him goodbye.
“I cried that day,” he said Wednesday.
A group of Afghan-Canadians protest outside of Parliament, saying that they should have access to veterans benefits like soldiers did for serving in Afghanistan, in Ottawa on Nov. 20.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
He and others said many of them came home with the same physical and psychological injuries that have been well-documented for CAF members – post-traumatic stress-disorder among them – but discovered they had no access to benefits programs through the military.
Eventually, they were told to apply through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, which initially rejected many of their claims. Those decisions were later reviewed after public pressure, some of which came from the office of the military ombudsperson that has been working on the situation faced by the LCAs since 2018.
“There remains an inadequate level of care and compensation for LCAs who experienced the same risks and suffered many of the same hardships as the CAF members they served alongside,” ombudsperson Gregory Lick wrote before leaving the role this past summer, in a public plea for Defence Minister Bill Blair to act.
“Left behind and forgotten, they continue to this day without the resources and support they need and rightfully deserve.”
Mr. Lick’s interim replacement, Robyn Hynes, has also taken up the cause, last week submitting a report on the treatment of LCAs to the government. Its contents are expected to be made public later this year or early in 2025, along with recommendations for the minister.
Among the ideas Mr. Lick had previously suggested was that Mr. Blair use his ministerial authority to set up an explicit support program. Mr. Blair, when asked Wednesday by The Globe and Mail why he didn’t just do that, said former advisers ought to just use the same programs as civil servants.
An Afghan-Canadian displaying his service medals.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
“I agree that they deserve our support,” he said after an unrelated announcement on Parliament Hill.
“The right way to do that is to provide them with exactly the same suite of benefits that are available to all public service employees, although they were contract employees.”
Mr. Blair said the government continues to work through the “process” of ensuring LCAs have access to supports.
Ms. Hynes told The Globe in a statement Wednesday that people are suffering and need attention immediately.
“The LCAs served alongside the Canadian Armed Forces in dangerous and unpredictable environments, yet have been left to navigate complex and bureaucratic processes on their own,” the interim ombudsperson said.
“This is not just a policy or process issue – it is about people and the impact this experience has had on their lives.”