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Hon. Randy Boissonnault (Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, Lib.)

Jan/31/22 9:06:05 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to join in this important take-note debate this evening. This debate comes at a moment of deep anxiety for people across the country. Ukrainian Canadians across the country fear for their friends and families back in Ukraine. As an MP from Edmonton, I have spent my whole life surrounded by the beauty of the Ukrainian culture, growing up with Ukrainian speakers and Ukrainian friends. It is an essential part of tapestry of our community. At this time it is crucial that we stand with our Ukrainian friends and with the entire diaspora around the world. It is important for us to make very clear that the situation itself is clear and stark. Russia is the aggressor, and Ukraine is the victim. Russia's military buildup recently announced during military exercises at Belarus, hybrid attacks on Ukrainian government websites, propaganda and disinformation campaigns and its weaponization of energy all represent a direct threat to the Ukrainian people. This is also occurring against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing aggression with Ukraine, including its attempted annexation of illegal occupation of Crimea in 2014, its support for military formations in eastern Ukraine and human rights violations. Canada's response to this crisis is guided by the following principles: seeking diplomatic resolution, preparing tough deterrents to support diplomacy, and providing additional support to Ukraine. Our allies and our partners have engaged in intense diplomacy along several tracks, including at the NATO Russia council. However, we will not compromise on the fundamental principles of sovereignty, self-determination and a country's right to forge its own path. These principles are enshrined in the UN Charter and are non-negotiable. At a council meeting on January 17, we offered Russia three new meetings to discuss NATO Russia relations, the security situation in Europe, as well as risk reduction, transparency, arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. Russia has yet to accept any of these meetings. The Minister of Foreign Affairs recently travelled to Kiev, Paris and Brussels to continue to advance Canada's ongoing efforts towards a diplomatic solution to the crisis. In her meetings with Ukraine's President Zelensky and Foreign Minister Kuleba, the minister underscored Canada's steadfast commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. We have always been clear that there is only one way forward and that is for Russia to de-escalate. It is Russia that invaded Georgia in 2008, and it is Russia that violates international law every day as it continues to occupy parts of Ukraine's territory. Canada is taking action and has offered Ukraine a sovereign loan of $120 million as of January 21 in response to President Zelensky's request for additional support. This loan will reinforce Ukraine's domestic stability and support the country's economic resilience and governance reforms. A secure, peaceful and prosperous Ukraine strengthens our shared transatlantic security, which Canada has a vested interest in promoting and protecting. In this work, I want to underscore the importance of unity and coordination with our partners on firm and severe response measures. Canada has also been working closely with many like-minded countries to develop a set of robust and concrete punitive measures, chief among them are economic sanctions. We are prepared to meet further Russian military action with immediate and harsh sanctions that target individuals and entities linked to key sections of the Russian economy. All options are on the table. Our engagement was further reinforced by the announcement of the extension and expansion of Operation Unifier to provide enhanced military training and mentorship to Ukraine's security forces through to the end of March 2025. Canada will continue to work with our allies and partners including the G7, the EU, NATO, OSCE and the UN, along with the international community writ large to coordinate our responses and continue to push Russia to come to the table to dialogue or face severe consequences and costs. However, it is ultimately Russia's choice to de-escalate this crisis and we are ready to meet Russia on either path. We urge Russia to adhere to its international commitments, including those under the OSCE Helsinki Act, the OSCE Vienna Document and the Minsk Agreement for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Canada will be steadfast in our support of Ukraine sovereignty, territorial integrity and self-determination.

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

Hon. Randy Boissonnault

Jan/31/22 9:11:41 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I think the stakes are very stark in this conflict, and it is pretty clear to us on the government side that this is a battle of authoritarianism versus democracy. I know personally that this is the biggest test for western democracies in my lifetime. We need to stand together with our partners in western and eastern Europe against Russian aggression. The world is watching and we need to get this right. We are steadfastly committed to a peaceful, de-escalated resolution to the situation, and we must not stand for increased Russian aggression in Ukraine.

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

Hon. Randy Boissonnault

Jan/31/22 9:13:03 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I thank the hon. member for her support and very important question. If we take a look back at Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Canada did indeed impose sanctions on more than 440 individuals and entities, many in coordination with our allies. Just to give some subtext on that, Canada had sanctioned 120 individuals and 81 entities related to Russia's violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukraine. We sanctioned 202 individuals and 42 entities related to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and the ongoing Russian occupation in parts of eastern Ukraine. We have been very clear, as a government, that should Russia increase its aggression in Ukraine, it will be met with stiff and severe economic sanctions in coordination with our international partners.

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

Hon. Randy Boissonnault

Jan/31/22 9:14:51 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I thank the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance for the very kind question. I see that the member of Parliament for Winnipeg South is there even with his hand up, and I have to say that he was the moderator of a very moving and important conversation at a Zoom town hall that we held across the west with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and the MP for Winnipeg South Centre. We had 500 people in that Zoom meeting. With 130-some years of waves of immigrants from Ukraine, that means that if one is in the west, they probably eat pedaheh and holubtsi. I go to French Canadian weddings and I can tell members that Ukrainian food is a staple. It is because we are all knitted together. The community is nervous. It is frightened. It is afraid for the people and family they have in Ukraine. They have asked us to stay very close to what the Ukrainian government has asked us to do. That is why, in maybe a historic amount of time, our government was able to deliver a $120-million loan, and I thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs for that. We are going to watch the situation carefully. We are going to stay very closely connected to community leaders, like the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, both here in Edmonton and Calgary, in Alberta, across the west and across the country.

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