44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 28, 2022 11:00AM
- Feb/28/22 2:42:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the primary victims of war are always the citizens, and this holds true again in this case.
Half a million Ukrainians have already had to leave their country, leaving behind not only their loved ones, but their entire lives. As parliamentarians, we have a historic duty to help them.
The government recently announced that it would match every donation Canadians make to the Red Cross, but only up to $10 million. I think we can all agree that this cap is inappropriate. Will the government remove the cap and commit to doing everything it can to help Ukrainians who are in forced exile?
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- Feb/28/22 6:48:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. I would like her thoughts on the following.
We know that the Ukrainians are fighting with extraordinary strength, courage and resilience. While 500,000 people have left Ukraine so far, it is possible that in future, that number could be closer to five million. We hope not, but it could happen.
In order to be prepared and avoid the same unfortunate mistakes that have been made recently, including in Afghanistan, I would like the minister to tell us in what ways the Canadian Armed Forces are ready to play a humanitarian role in welcoming people leaving Ukraine, in collaboration with the other NATO countries and the countries bordering Ukraine.
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- Feb/28/22 8:07:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Thunder Bay—Rainy River said something interesting. He said that the only brother who kills his brother is a madman. Well, a distant cousin who watches the brother kill his brother might also be described as a madman.
What does my colleague think about the possibility of imposing equally severe sanctions on Belarus as are being imposed on Russia?
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- Feb/28/22 8:25:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Durham said that the last time he rose in the House was on January 31. I too rose on that day to speak to the issue of Ukraine.
At the time, the focus was on diplomacy. Many journalists had pointed out gaps in what was happening in government: high employee turnover, five different ministers in six years, no foreign policy white paper for at least 17 years. Are we at the stage where we need to revisit our diplomacy and use a much clearer, more structured approach?
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- Feb/28/22 9:00:16 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I always enjoy listening to my colleague. I would like to go off on a bit of a tangent, though my question is related to this evening's topic.
Many observers of the conflict are pondering whether the international response to the invasion of Ukraine could end up deterring or encouraging China's designs on Taiwan. Should we keep that in mind as we analyze the conflict in Ukraine?
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- Feb/28/22 9:07:49 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech. I would like to hear his thoughts on a very specific question.
All day, the Conservatives have been saying that we need to build pipelines to supply Germany and other countries, as a way to sanction Russia. We all hope that the war will be over very soon.
Once peace talks start, will my colleague call for an end to construction on pipelines that are not yet finished?
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- Feb/28/22 10:01:13 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his heartfelt and emotional speech. We do indeed feel a sense of unity. The Bloc Québécois has offered its full support to the government today, indicating that we want to work with the government, because this cause is much bigger than all of us.
I would like to know whether my colleague has anything to ask of the opposition. Are there any issues on which he wants us to continue to work together in order to reach the quickest and most peaceful solution possible?
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- Feb/28/22 10:29:17 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thank my esteemed colleague from Montarville. I always enjoy listening to him.
He mentioned in his speech that he was a bit surprised by the very quick international response. We had another surprise earlier today. Switzerland emerged from hundreds of years of sacrosanct neutrality.
I wonder if my colleague shares my impression that this too marks something of a turning point in the way the west is handling this conflict.
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- Feb/28/22 11:33:21 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is always nice to hear the different views of the parties in the House on issues that are a bit more divisive.
One of the things we discussed tonight is what to do about Russian diplomats in Canada. Do we expel them or not?
I agree that they are contributing to the disinformation. Even today, it was claimed that the demonstrations endangered the lives of diplomats, even though they were extremely peaceful.
I am curious to hear the views of the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands on those diplomats.
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- Feb/28/22 11:48:30 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech.
As I said just now to the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, it is interesting to hear all the party members' points of view that may be a little different. This evening, though, there is a broad consensus.
We like using discussion as a way to determine our positions. To help me make up my mind, I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on the possibility of sanctioning Russia by sending Russian diplomats home.
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