44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 3, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/3/22 2:18:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in the past seven days, one million people have fled Ukraine to Poland, Hungary, Moldova and other European countries. Thousands of people seeking safety are being forced to leave Ukraine, many of them women. These women are courageously crossing borders with their children, unsure of their future.
I want to add my voice to that of the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. I would like to begin by acknowledging the incredible courage of the women of Ukraine who are fighting, who are being forced to find shelter for their loved ones in bunkers, who are giving birth in subway stations and who are leading the fight on the front line.
I pay tribute to their courage, strength and resilience in these particularly grave circumstances. This courage, strength and resilience fill us with admiration. Our hearts go out to those who are living through this heinous war, those who have fled it and those who have taken up arms to defend their country. This war will end, and the women will rebuild.
Ukrainsi peregomout!
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- Mar/3/22 2:19:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in 1891, Ukrainians first came to Lamont County, where I grew up. It is known as the cradle of Ukrainian settlement in Canada. The first MP of Ukrainian descent was elected in Vegreville in 1926. Lakeland is home to symbols of Ukrainian food, faith and culture, the world's largest pysanka, historic sites, Ukrainian immersion school programs, and more than 22,000 Ukrainian Canadians. There are so many families with loved ones who are fleeing Putin's attacks and violence, or who are joining those who defend and fight for Ukraine.
The moving words of Ukraine's national anthem show its grit and steadfast spirit, which states:
Ukraine's glory hasn't perished, nor her freedomUpon us, fellow compatriots, fate shall smile once moreOur enemies will vanish, like dew in the morning sun,And we too shall rule, brothers, in a free land of our own.We'll lay down our souls and bodies to attain our freedom,And we'll show that we, brothers, are of the Kozak nation.
Canada must match words and empathy with more aid and more action to secure the safety, peace and freedom of the people of Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini.
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- Mar/3/22 2:20:57 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to sadly inform the House that Hamilton lost a much-admired journalist this week. Steve Arnold was known for his unquenchable curiosity, gentle demeanour and profound intellect. For more than half of his 40-year journalism career, he was a business reporter at the Hamilton Spectator, delving deeply into Hamilton's business, manufacturing and labour sectors.
For many of those years, Steve lived in my riding of Hamilton Mountain, and his work was consistently meaningful for my constituents in the steel and manufacturing sectors.
I got to know Steve as a colleague at the Hamilton Spectator. Years after I moved to broadcasting, he continued to offer advice and support, because he was someone who was always generous with his time and knowledge.
When he retired, he never really retired, because journalism was never a job for Steve Arnold. It was a calling. He continued to write for community papers and the Canadian Jewish News.
Today, I offer my sincerest condolences to his wife, Pam, his friends, his family and all those whose lives were touched by his words.
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- Mar/3/22 2:22:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there is a massive disinformation campaign about the situation in Ukraine on Facebook, Twitter and all social media.
I receive messages every day that are full of false information about Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Too many Canadians are subjected to these messages, some of which repeat word-for-word the Russian ambassador's statement. This Prime Minister stated in October that disinformation is a threat to democracy.
Why does the Prime Minister continue to tolerate the presence of Russia's chief propagandist in Canada? Will he expel the Russian ambassador to Canada, yes or no?
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- Mar/3/22 2:22:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, before I reply, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome a visitor.
Here today is Andrii Bukvych, chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada. Welcome to the House of Commons.
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- Mar/3/22 2:23:55 p.m.
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I will take this opportunity to remind the hon. members of the rules.
I will let the minister go on with her answer.
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- Mar/3/22 2:24:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we must defend Canadians against disinformation and propaganda.
We will not be intimidated by tyrants. Putin wants to destroy democracy.
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- Mar/3/22 2:24:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, slava Ukraini.
The Putin regime's ongoing and illegal attack against Ukraine is a clear warning to the free world.
According to National Defence, in 2019, more than a third of our army's equipment and vehicles were unusable. Our air capacity is limited. We have to be prepared to deal with future threats. Former Liberal member Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Leslie is worried.
He said that the people who were saying a few days ago that Russia would not invade Ukraine are the same people who are now saying that Russia will stop once it takes Ukraine.
I have a simple question for the Prime Minister: Are we prepared?
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- Mar/3/22 2:25:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course we are prepared.
We will leave no stone unturned to support our Ukrainian friends. To that end, I announced today that we will be stepping up our support with two new major contributions in order to provide more lethal aid. That is our priority to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
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- Mar/3/22 2:25:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives of course support every effort to aid Ukraine in its battle against the Russian invasion. Given Canada's very vocal support internationally and given the threats issued by Putin and the Russian regime to punish those who try to stop them, Canada must be prepared for a worst-case scenario. This is the government's paramount responsibility.
What meetings has the defence minister had with cabinet and her allied counterparts to prepare Canada in the event Russia acts on its threat and retaliates?
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- Mar/3/22 2:26:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
Our government is prepared for any eventuality. We are putting in across-the-board measures to support Ukraine in this situation. We have NORAD modernization as our priority. We are working very closely with our American counterparts. We will leave no stone unturned for the safety and security of this country, this continent and indeed Ukraine itself.
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- Mar/3/22 2:26:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Russia has 40 nuclear-powered weaponized icebreakers. Does the House want to know how many Canada has? It is zero. Russia has 18 military bases near Canada's Arctic border, whereas we are struggling to get one naval base up and running.
Yesterday, Russia's foreign affairs minister said that a third world war will be “nuclear and devastating”. These remarks are deeply concerning and present a serious threat to our national security and to public safety.
Is the government taking this seriously? I am not quite convinced by the Minister of National Defence's answers. What meetings has she had to make sure we are prepared?
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- Mar/3/22 2:27:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to assure my hon. colleague and the House of Commons that we are indeed prepared for every eventuality, including those from the information we have received relating to the nuclear allusions that Mr. Putin has been making. We need to be non-provocative, we need to be rational in this situation and we need to act together as a country and support each other in this time of need.
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- Mar/3/22 2:28:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, according to the former lieutenant-general and former Liberal MP, the only thing that will stop the Russians is deterrence.
Russia has 40 nuclear-powered icebreakers in the Arctic, while Canada has none. Russia has 18 military bases near the Arctic, while Canada barely has one. The Russian ambassador, who is the chief propagandist for the Putin regime, is still here in Canada.
What exactly is Canada doing to deter the Russians and the Putin regime from coming here to Canada?
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- Mar/3/22 2:29:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that our government is very serious about protecting our sovereignty in the North and the Arctic.
What we are going to do is continue working with the United States for our continent and our country. We also have the Coast Guard working for us.
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- Mar/3/22 2:29:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, three days ago, 500,000 people had fled the war in Ukraine. Now it is more than a million.
I welcome the government's creation of the authorization for emergency travel, but more must be done, and faster. The minister calls it an authorization for emergency travel, but it is going to take two weeks to set up. After that, who knows how long it will take to process applications. Speedy is not exactly the IRCC's middle name.
I have a simple question. With the number of people fleeing doubling every three days, how long will it take for these people to actually get to Canada?
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- Mar/3/22 2:30:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today we announced a new program that will eliminate many of the administrative formalities to get Ukrainians here faster so they can have a safe place to stay for up to two years. There will be no limit to the number of Ukrainians who can apply. The process will be very fast.
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- Mar/3/22 2:30:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada needs to be prepared for a large‑scale airlift operation to receive refugees. We must be prepared to charter as many flights as possible to take into account an influx of exiles that swells by 500,000 people every three days and could still increase, as the Russian strikes become more brutal.
As I said, the government has the support of the Bloc Québécois in its support for the people of Ukraine, but things must move faster, especially since half of the exiles are children.
Will the government organize this airlift operation?
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- Mar/3/22 2:31:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, we will do everything we can to welcome the people of Ukraine.
Second, since we know that family members of Canadian citizens may want to start a new life in Canada, everyone who arrives under these measures will be eligible for an open work permit. They will be able to start working right away if they wish.
We are also going to work very hard for families.
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- Mar/3/22 2:32:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we need to stop the war in Ukraine and to do that we need to put pressure on President Putin where it counts, and that is his wealth. We know his wealth is held in the hands of Russian oligarchs like Roman Abramovich, so will the Prime Minister commit to specific targeted sanctions to sanction the wealth and assets of these Russian oligarchs that are held in Canada?
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