The first commercial flights offered for free to Ukrainians through a fundraiser of Aeroplan points and cash, announced by the federal government nearly a month ago, will not be available until June.
Launched in partnership with Air Canada and charities, the initiative aims to fund the airlift of approximately 10,000 people who fled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At the time of the announcement on April 20, logistics organization Miles4Migrants said flights were expected to begin in May. This organization now estimates what will happen in a few weeks, as it is not yet ready to give the kick-off to the program.
We are on track to launch the program in early June, which is only a very small delay. […] We do this to ensure that the process in place, at the operational level, is designed to be successful.said in an interview with The Canadian Press Andy Freedman, co-founder and member of the board of directors of the United States-based organization.
Once the program is launched, Miles4Migrants expects the first flights to be available by mid -June.
Direct support for Ukrainians
Mr. Freedman said the funds raised are ready to be used to book flights, but the organization must first complete the details of its program to provide direct support to Ukrainians along with its partners. He suggests that continued cooperation with other non-profit organizations, as well as with the government, should, for example, ensure that those who have registered are really eligible, that Ukrainians have someone to approach if their flight was canceled. and they are given adequate support on arrival.
We don’t want to start a program where all these elements are out of placeexplained Mr. Freedman.
He said Miles4Migrants, which is on a mission to use point donations to provide free air travel to refugees, has worked with Canadian nonprofits in the past and collaborated on resettlement efforts for Afghans with the government of the US.
The Aeroplan points collection launched in partnership with the Canadian government has collected more than 144 million points so far, according to an Air Canada webpage.
The airline specified that this total included its donation of 100 million points announced on April 20. Air Canada’s role is that of a donor […]. The implementation of this program, as well as all associated logistics, is the responsibility of Miles4Migrants and the government.we wrote in an email.
Air Canada has not specified how many trips can be funded with funds accumulated so far.
The Shapiro Foundation, which is also part of the partnership, has promised to match Aeroplan points donations up to 50 million points. Monetary donations are also collected by the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto.
The role of the federal government
Asked about the role of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in the initiative led by Miles4Migrants, the office of the minister responsible for this ministry, Sean Fraser, replied that it consisted of helping Ukrainian citizens gather the necessary documentation on lupa. , such as gaining approval for the Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization (AVUCU) program.
L ‘AVUCU provides access to three years of temporary residence for Ukrainians and their family members and, according to the latest data published by Ottawa, the files of 104,553 people have been approved.
Minister Fraser has repeatedly stated to the public that many people are asking forAVUCU without knowing whether they will use it or stay elsewhere, closer to Ukraine.
The minister’s office argues that the partnership with Miles4Migrants is a supplements chartered flights offered by the Canadian government to certain beneficiaries ofAVUCUspeaks of a strategy both sides.
So far, three charter flights have been announced. These, scheduled to take place on May 23, May 29 and June 2, will allow about 300 people to board, according to a spokesman for Mr. Fraser’s team.
Ottawa could have done better, the opposition says
The deputy leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Alexandre Boulerice, considers that the government’s two-pronged approach is ineffective and that Ottawa should announce more charter flights, faster.
So far, Canada is not the most effective on earth and only here have we seen one kind of public-private solution where […] we still have many questions and we do not have time to ask ourselves these questionshe said, stating that he was criticizing the actions of the government and not the actions of those who were with him.
The Bloc Québécois has the same request for additional charter flights. Its immigration spokeswoman, Alexis-Brunelle Duceppe, said she thinks the government has tried to win time by announcing the fundraiser and not not really to alleviate the logistical burden.
They take credit for a program where they have no role and moreover this program still does not exist.he said.
In a written statement, Conservatives immigration critic Jasraj Singh Hallan believes Ottawa should have planned an execution time for the partnership when it was announced. When the government announces, it should include concrete gestures and gestures, not nice words.he argued.
In this regard, Minister Fraser’s office maintains that the fact is sometimes things take longer to fix should not be prevented [ le gouvernement ] to be clear to the public about the kind of initiatives they are taking.
Furthermore, both the Conservatives and the Bloc and New Democrats reiterated their request to remove all visa requirements for Ukrainians.
Source: Radio-Canada
