Trudeau has no timeline for unblocking Afghan aid, as humanitarian crisis deepens

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has no timeline for when Canadian aid groups will be able to respond to a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Aid groups say Canadian officials have warned them that buying supplies or paying a driver to deliver food in Afghanistan would incur taxes for the Taliban, which could contravene anti-terrorism laws.

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, and Canada lists the organization as a terrorist group.

The country is facing a shortage of food and medical supplies, so Australia and the European Union found workarounds to their own laws this spring to allow aid groups to help.