44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 21, 2022 11:00AM
- Mar/21/22 2:05:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is being fuelled by European dependence on Russian energy. As Europe and much of the world searches for alternatives, Canada should be part of the solution. The only thing standing in the way is the Liberal government and its war on Canadian energy. In cancelling pipelines, killing LNG projects and driving away hundreds of billions of dollars of investment, the Liberal government's record is so disastrous that last year Canada imported $400 million of Russian oil, $400 million to fuel Putin's war machine.
As a result of the Liberals' war on Canadian energy, Canada is weaker, Putin is stronger and the world is less safe.
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- Mar/21/22 3:07:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over three million people have now fled the violence in Ukraine. Civilians are being bombed in their homes and even in hospitals. They are desperate for support. Economic sanctions are a strong tool we have to force Putin to stop committing war crimes. However, the sanctions announced by the government will not have the desired effect if they are not properly enforced.
Will the minister commit to the NDP ask for ownership of assets to be made public and tell Canadians how many Russian assets have been frozen since the most recent invasion of Ukraine?
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- Mar/21/22 6:32:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague for Spadina—Fort York has raised an incredibly important question.
We continue unequivocally to condemn President Putin's unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine. Our hearts break as we hear about untold suffering, particularly in cities such as Mariupol, where thousands of people are trapped without electricity, water, gas or a way of communicating with their loved ones.
The most vulnerable are in need of humanitarian assistance.
This is why Canada is deeply concerned with the ongoing challenge to ensure humanitarian access to besieged cities and to help those who are trapped to meet their immediate and most basic humanitarian needs. Canada will continue to call on Russia to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law to allow humanitarian access and to facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance to those in need.
Canada has consistently supported the humanitarian response in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries such as Poland since 2014. Our funding has been provided to experienced humanitarian partners, including United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which are all working to help the most vulnerable people in Ukraine.
We saw a dramatic rise in civilian casualties and humanitarian consequences last month, as a result of Russia's invasion and disregard for international humanitarian law. We remain steadfast in our commitment to alleviating their suffering and protecting human dignity.
In 2022 to date, Canada has committed $145 million to supporting the humanitarian response in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. Of this amount, $95 million has been allocated to experienced Red Cross, UN and non-governmental humanitarian partners. This includes a very successful $30-million matching fund with the Canadian Red Cross.
To respond to requests for in-kind assistance from the ministry of health of Ukraine, Global Affairs Canada is coordinating with provincial and interdepartmental partners to support the donation of relief supplies that can be effectively integrated into humanitarian response operations through international partners. This will support a coordinated international response, which has been rapidly scaling up, and make use of the supply pipelines that are already being established to deliver relief items.
Through these pipelines, Canada's in-kind assistance will be channelled directly to the needs of the most vulnerable in Ukraine and in the region.
Given the scope of the crisis, there is an increasing need to provide international support to countries on the front line, such as Moldova and Poland.
To support their efforts, Canada is providing unearmarked funding to key humanitarian partners to help provide immediate services to refugees in support of host government-led responses.
In conclusion, Canada's commitment to stand united with those affected by the conflict in Ukraine is clear. We are continuing to work in close collaboration with our allies and our humanitarian partners on the ground to monitor the development of this rapidly evolving crisis.
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- Mar/21/22 7:21:56 p.m.
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Volodymyr, in the years I have known you, I have always thought of you as a champion for democracy. Now democracies around the world are lucky to have you as our champion.
Your courage and the courage of your people inspires us all. You are defending the right of Ukrainians to choose their own future and, in doing so, you are defending the values that form the pillars of all free democratic countries. Freedom, human rights, justice, truth and international order are the values you are risking your life for as you fight for Ukraine and Ukrainians. Beyond that, you are inspiring democracies and democratic leaders around the world to be more courageous, more united, and to fight harder for what we believe in. You remind us that friends are always stronger together.
With allies and partners, we are imposing crippling sanctions to make sure Putin and his enablers in Russia and Belarus are held accountable. Today, in line with our European Union partners, I can announce that we have imposed severe sanctions on 15 new Russian officials, including government and military elites who are complicit in this illegal war.
Canada will continue to support Ukraine by providing military equipment as well as financial and humanitarian assistance. We will be there to help rebuild Ukraine once the aggressor is repelled.
In Canada, we like to root for the underdog. We believe that when a cause is just and right, it will always prevail, no matter the size of the opponent. This does not mean it will be easy. Ukrainians are already paying incalculable human costs. This illegal and unnecessary war is a grave mistake. Putin must stop it now.
Vladimir Putin's blatant disregard for human life is absolutely unacceptable. Canada continues to demand that Russia stop targeting civilians and that it end this unjustifiable war.
Ukrainians are standing up to authoritarianism and, as parliamentarians united in this House today and all Canadians, we stand with you. As friends, you can count on our unwavering and steadfast support.
Now it is my great privilege to introduce to you all the President of Ukraine, our friend, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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- Mar/21/22 8:00:49 p.m.
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I want to thank President Zelenskyy. We heard his words today. We want to thank him for his courage, his inspiration and his resilience. We want to thank the people of Ukraine for their courage and resilience.
He asked us to imagine what it is like to wake up at four in the morning to bombing. He asked us to imagine what it is like to explain to children what is going on. Why are we being bombed? Why are we being attacked?
He asked us to imagine what it would be like to lose 97 children to a war. He asked us to imagine what it would be like in our major cities and places in our country, such as Montreal, our capital city of Ottawa, or Toronto or or Vancouver if tanks rolled into these cities. He asked us to imagine what it would be like to see bombs fall on our homes, on our cities, our communities, our schools, our hospitals. He asked us to imagine that, and frankly, we cannot imagine that in a city in Canada. It is unimaginable.
But we have seen the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. We have heard the words of President Zelenskyy. We have spoken with Ukrainian Canadians who share with us the pain that they are experiencing right now, not knowing if their loved ones are going to survive the night. We have heard from families that call constantly, asking if people are okay and still alive. It is unimaginable for us. He asked us to imagine what it is like, and to please help. He asked for more help. He acknowledged that so far Canada has been a strong ally, but he asked for more help, and we must answer that call. Canadians stand with Ukraine and will answer that call to provide as much help as possible in this time.
Canadians want to do more. We heard from President Zelenskyy that sanctions are important, and we want to increase those. We know that is one of the most important things we can do. We know that President Putin does not care about the people and he does not care about his country, but he does care about his wealth. We know the way to attack Putin. The way to make sure that he feels the pressure of the sanctions is to target him where it counts, and that is to target the wealth that is held by his allies and oligarchs. We are on that path and we need to continue to apply the most severe of sanctions possible to specifically target President Putin and his wealth.
We know that we can provide humanitarian help. Canada has done its part and needs to continue to do that. We need to welcome Ukrainians who are fleeing this crisis and seeking refuge. We need to provide humanitarian help on the ground and continue to provide that support.
President Zelenskyy asked us to imagine the horrors of this war. He asked us to imagine this war happening here, in Canada. That is unimaginable. He also asked us to increase assistance to Ukraine, and we must make that happen. We must increase sanctions. We must answer the call from Ukrainians. We will do so.
I think about the words that we have heard from President Zelenskyy and the speeches that he has given, and I think about the moments of courage that we have seen reported from everyday Ukrainians standing up to this violence, standing up to this flagrant aggression by President Putin, which is something that we clearly and firmly denounce. We see in those moments incredible courage, and I struggle to find the words to describe it.
I think about something my mom always taught me, a phrase in Punjabi, which is chardi kala. I always misunderstood what it meant. She said that it means “rising spirits in the face of difficult odds”, and I cannot think of a more fitting phrase to describe the courage of Ukrainians and the courage of President Zelenskyy. I cannot think of a more fitting moment to describe chardi kala, rising spirits, as it defines optimism. In the face of one of the largest armies in the world, Ukrainians are saying, “We will not back down. We will not give up.”
We are so incredibly inspired by them for their fight for democracy, for their fight for freedom, and we stand in full solidarity. We wish for their chardi kala, their rising spirits and their defining optimism to continue, and we will be with you every step of the way.
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