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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan (Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, Lib.)

Jan/31/22 2:42:28 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague mentioned, the COVID-19 pandemic does not recognize borders and will only be overcome through coordinated global action. This is why Canada stepped up. We are committed to donating the equivalent of at least 200 million COVID-19 vaccines. We are committed to supporting equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines. This includes therapeutics and diagnostics as well.

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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan (Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, Lib.)

Jan/31/22 2:43:36 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, as we stated, Canada is stepping up to provide vaccines for the global community. That is why our government committed $2.6 billion to the COVID-19 response, which includes $1.3 billion for the ACT-Accelerator, of which $545 million is for COVAX. Over $740 million is for humanitarian and development assistance. I could not agree more with the member that all of us in the world need to be vaccinated for all of us to be safe.

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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan (Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, Lib.)

Jan/31/22 8:55:02 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with the hon. Minister of Tourism. It is essential that we continue to support Ukraine in the days ahead and that we remember that we are not only supporting a nation; we are supporting its people. These are people who are living with the uncertainty of a potential invasion, who continue to struggle to build their democracy in the shadow of Russian threats and who continue to be affected by the humanitarian impact of the ongoing conflict in eastern Europe. Canada has been a consistent supporter of the humanitarian response in Ukraine since 2014. Our humanitarian assistance provides support to the people most affected by this crisis, including those in non-government-controlled areas where restrictions have separated the population from the rest of Ukraine, many of whom are underemployed or elderly and find themselves cut off from social services such as health care and their pensions. Through our experienced humanitarian partners, including United Nations agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Canada has sought to address the basic needs of the Ukrainian people, to protect civilians living near the contact line and to respond to increased needs due to COVID-19. Since 2014, Canada has provided over $49.5 million in humanitarian assistance funding to the Ukrainian people, making us the fourth-largest single-country donor of humanitarian assistance funding to Ukraine. This funding is having a real impact on the ground. In 2020 we helped support 69 health centres, provided water and shelter assistance to over 1.4 million people, increased food consumption for over 220,000 people and boosted food production for over 32,000 people. We are prepared to do more. Last week, our government announced that we will provide $15 million in new humanitarian assistance to support humanitarian partners to respond with the flexibility that Ukraine requires. Our assistance will focus on priorities that matter to the people on the ground, ensuring people's access to basic services such as health, water, sanitation, shelter and food security. The increased assistance will also strengthen protection, including for the almost one million individuals who remain internally displaced. We will provide advocacy and support for freedom of movement for the families that remain separated by the contact line, who in many cases are unable to even communicate with family members cut off from them because of the conflict. Our support for the immediate humanitarian needs of those affected by the conflict in Ukraine is complementary to other long-term development and security support that is also supporting Ukraine's resilience in the face of a continued escalation of Russian aggression. Since 2014, in addition to our support of humanitarian assistance, Canada has provided over $250 million in bilateral development assistance to support Ukraine to advance democracy, the rule of law, gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls, and sustainable economic growth. Through this development assistance, we have supported rural women entrepreneurs to improve their agricultural production and business financial management, generating economic opportunities for the most vulnerable people living in rural conflict-affected areas. We have fostered a vibrant and diverse civil society landscape in Ukraine that can play a vital role in building functioning democracies, upholding the rule of law and access to justice, and promoting and protecting human rights. We have ensured that women's voices are heard by helping local women's organizations and networks to promote women's rights and their advancement. Now, in the face of this aggression, Canada is increasing development assistance by up to an additional $35 million. This support will fund strategic peace and security initiatives that respond to the evolving needs on the ground. These initiatives will work to strengthen community resilience and mitigate the drivers and impacts of instability. Our increased development assistance will help improve the crisis management and emergency response capacity in Ukraine. It will also allow some of our departmental partners on the ground to scale up programming to help Ukraine respond to the evolving needs of its citizens and ensure it has the capacity to continue to deliver services and provide help to people if the situation deteriorates even further. It will also enhance our support to civil society, including independent media and human rights activists. Our development aid does not exist in isolation, but is part of a consolidated Canadian effort to help the government in Ukraine build its economic capacity. Our offer of a sovereign loan of up to $120 million, announced on January 21, will also help the Ukrainian government reinforce its economic resilience. It remains Canada's hope that the situation in Ukraine does not deteriorate, but this depends on Russia. We will continue to seek a diplomatic resolution. With our allies and partners, we will continue to call on Russia to de-escalate and engage in a meaningful dialogue in good faith. We will do so not only because it is in the best interests of the people of Ukraine, but also because it is the only viable path forward for Russia. Whatever comes, Canada will stand alongside the people of Ukraine. Our humanitarian development support will be there to help them meet their daily needs and to help them as they fight for an independent future.

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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan

Jan/31/22 9:01:45 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, we have been concerned about Russia's cyberwarfare tactics and the methods it has been using when it comes to misinformation. The cyber-attacks that occur, especially the disinformation that comes within Canada, are why we have also offered up support from our Communications Security Establishment to provide cyber-support in these cases.

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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan

Jan/31/22 9:03:19 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I agree with the hon. member that it is very important for all of us to work toward preventing conflict. This is why our government has increased our international development funding, and the Speech from the Throne has also mentioned this. I look forward to working with the member to look at other conflicts. However, in particular, in Ukraine, we have stepped up and we will look at other opportunities as the situation changes.

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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan

Jan/31/22 9:05:18 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, our government's response is comprehensive. I have had the opportunity to visit Ukraine on many occasions. I am very proud of the time I had there. I had the opportunity to attend President Zelensky's inauguration, and I took my daughter to an event in Toronto where he spoke because this is an all-Canadian effort. Yes, we are very proud of the work that we are doing with Operation Unifier and trade, but also of the development of support that is needed right now. We will continue to evolve our support as the situation changes.

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