44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 28, 2022 11:00AM
- Feb/28/22 6:40:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are witnessing a humanitarian crisis unfold in Ukraine with bombings, attacks and casualties, and Canada must do its part as countries around the world are stepping up.
One of the things we can do is learn from the past when there were significant problems with welcoming people in an emergency crisis. I look to Afghanistan as an example of what not to do when we failed in ensuring the safety of our allies to get to Canada.
When will the Prime Minister ensure that we have a visa-free, barrier-free access to Canada for Ukrainians who are seeking refuge in this time of crisis?
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- Feb/28/22 9:11:48 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I spoke to some of my constituents recently on Thursday and Friday. Many of them were concerned with IRCC in light of the crisis. We have said that while prioritizing permanent residency applications and travel documents for Ukraine is a necessary measure, the Liberals must not repeat the mistakes that were made with the Afghanistan humanitarian crisis. They must ensure this work is done properly with new staffing, resources and immigration levels so that the existing significant backlog for all streams within IRCC is not further impacted.
Does the member agree that the government should be allocating new resources to IRCC in order to process these new applications?
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- Feb/28/22 9:12:27 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, that is actually a major and recurring problem at the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. The government wanted to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada, but it barely managed to bring 5,000 to 6,000. We have just learned that the Taliban has decided that no one else will be leaving Afghanistan. It is impossible.
It will now take resources and, above all, a sense of urgency. Everyone in the House of Commons has this sense of urgency. Therefore, I am asking the government to instill this sense of urgency in the public service so that everyone will work more quickly and react like the people in Europe are doing in wartime. Our contribution to the war effort is to help as many as people as possible by picking up the pace.
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- Feb/28/22 9:43:20 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, as I stand here tonight, as with all of my colleagues in the House, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine, their indomitable spirit and their keen sense of patriotism as they stand up to a ruthless Russian dictator in Vladimir Putin.
As shadow minister for national defence and a former associate minister of national defence, my mind is also on the 550 Canadian soldiers in Latvia and the crew of our frigate, HMCS Montréal, now in the Mediterranean, and their families and what they are going through right now. I think of the reinforcements we are sending as well.
When I was in cabinet, we had made the transition from war-fighting in Afghanistan to the Afghanistan training mission. These things weigh on one's heart and mind. I can imagine that my government colleagues are not sleeping that well right now, so my thoughts are also with the ministers who are directly involved and the government at this time.
Close to home, Canadians pride themselves on their majestic and largely untapped Arctic. Our Northwest Passage and surrounding areas are increasingly of interest to China and to Russia for access to minerals and natural resources and for sea trade between Asia and Europe. Russian aggression on the European continent brings home to Canada that an aggressive Russia might also be eyeing our Arctic. Russian aggression could just as easily take place in the area adjacent to our Arctic coast and waters, and this must be understood by all Canadians. The prospect of further Russian aggression in the north only reinforces the need for this government to purchase new F-35 fighter planes without delay and to cut steel on new warships.
As we all know, Canada has its signals intelligence listening post at Alert and an Arctic training centre and command centre at Resolute Bay. This year, we are supposed to see our first Arctic port become operational. In terms of defence capabilities for this vital region, we have our aging CF-18 fighter fleet, Victoria-class patrol submarines that can linger near the edge of the ice cap, a force of Canadian Rangers and Arctic offshore patrol vessels. It is simply not enough, and we must do more. Canada's northern warning system needs a major upgrade of its sensors and its coverage, both north and south, to protect us from a variety of new military threats, such as hypersonic ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles, all armed with nuclear warheads.
Russia's Kola Peninsula is one of the most militarized areas on the face of the planet. It is home to Russia's northern fleet and therefore home to its sea-based nuclear deterrent. In the last few years, Russia has refurbished 13 air bases, 10 radar stations and 20 border posts, and has integrated emergency rescue stations on its Arctic coast. Russia has also created a special forces Arctic brigade to be deployed to the region and has tested a series of hypersonic cruise missiles and nuclear-powered undersea drones. Canada must take our Arctic sovereignty security much more seriously and not allow Russia's huge military buildup to go unnoticed and unchecked. Canada must push back on the Russian government with several initiatives.
I note, and my colleague mentioned it, that the latest reports say that Putin has used thermobaric weapons today in Kharkiv. These weapons cause massive shock waves that suck the air out of the lungs of its victims. This is very serious, and there is now a 14-mile long Russian convoy outside the capital of Kyiv.
There are many things we can do. We can expel the Russian ambassador. We can recall our ambassador. We can give visa-free access. We can immediately move to remove Russia from the G20. We need to send more help. These concrete actions will send a message to Putin, his oligarchs and the people who keep him in power that they cannot invade a sovereign state. It is time for them to listen to the words of a great leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, who said, “The world will not accept dictatorship or domination.” We need only look at the patriotic fire in the eyes of Ukrainians and their President Zelensky and Ukrainians here and everywhere to understand that they too yearn to be free.
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