44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 13, 2023 02:00PM
- Dec/13/23 2:15:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives support Ukraine. It was a Conservative government that was the first western country in the world to recognize an independent Ukraine. It was a Conservative government that negotiated the existing Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement. It was a Conservative government that commenced Operation Unifier. It was Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper who said to Vladimir Putin “get out of Ukraine.”
On the other side, the Liberal government exported a gas turbine that has been used to pump Russian gas to fund Putin's war machine. It was the Liberal government that allowed Canadian detonators to end up in Russian mines, which are being used by the Russian army in this war. It was the Liberal government that decided to not provide war risk insurance, which prevents Canadian companies from investing in Ukraine.
Members should not listen to their Liberal disinformation. Conservatives unequivocally support Ukraine.
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- Dec/13/23 2:17:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the results of Operation Unifier are why Ukraine has been able to fight for the last 658 days against Russia's genocidal war.
After Russia annexed Crimea and began the war in Donbas in 2014, the Liberals and NDP on multiple occasions voted against Operation Unifier, voted against Operation Reassurance, voted against the first shipments of military aid to Ukraine and voted against hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to Ukraine. In 2016, the Liberal government's first foreign policy act was to cancel the provision of RADARSAT images for Ukraine to appease Russia.
Since 2018, Conservatives have called on Canada to send lethal defensive aid to Ukraine when it could have acted as a deterrent against Russia, but the NDP-Liberal government refused until the hot war began. Its members even called me a warmonger for it in early 2022.
Conservatives negotiated the first Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, and when we form government, we would negotiate a better one that does not include a carbon tax. Conservatives will always stand with Ukraine.
Slava Ukraini.
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- Dec/13/23 3:13:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, inflation has gone up, interest rates have gone up, food prices have gone up, energy prices have gone up, all linked to the ongoing war that Russia is waging in Ukraine. We recognize that on this side of the House and we are acting, not just to bring down prices here at home, but to stand with Ukraine in our fight against Russia. Unfortunately, the leader of the official opposition, who referred to Ukraine as a far away land refuses to stand up to deliver for Ukraine.
On this side of the House, we will always be there for Ukraine.
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- Dec/13/23 3:14:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, he is not there for Ukraine. He is there for himself. When Conservatives demanded that the government provide lethal weapons, before Putin's invasion when they most needed them, he said no. When Conservatives kicked Putin out of the G8 and made it the G7, he said no. What he said yes to was to give Putin an exported, big, powerful turbine to pump his gas and fill his war chest, and to export detonators used for Russian mines that blow up Ukrainians. That is not being there for Ukrainians.
We will stand for Ukrainians and for Canadians.
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- Dec/13/23 3:15:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to find ourselves in an argument about which side of the House is more supportive of Ukraine because one of the strengths that Canada has had on the world stage these past difficult two years is that we have said there is no debate around support for Ukraine in Canada, like there is in other countries where MAGA-inspired far-right movements are undermining support for Ukraine.
The Conservative Party of Canada has an opportunity to reverse its position in opposing the Ukraine free trade deal that Zelenskyy is asking for. Will they vote in favour of Ukraine free trade?
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- Dec/13/23 3:18:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government has been clear as to where we stand on the war in Ukraine. We understand that the Ukrainian people are not just fighting for their own freedom and survival, but are also fighting for us, and that we need to be fighting for them.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/13/23 3:20:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear where the government stands on Ukraine. We understand that the Ukrainian people are not only fighting for their own freedom and survival, but are also fighting for us, and that we need to be fighting for them.
It is also clear where Conservative MPs stand. Their leader has never advocated military, financial or humanitarian support for Ukraine. They voted against the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. Yesterday, the leader of the Conservative Party dismissively referred to Ukraine as a faraway foreign land. Under this leader, the Conservative—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/13/23 3:21:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government has been clear as to where we stand on the war in Ukraine. We know that the Ukrainian people are not only fighting for their own freedom and survival, but are also fighting for us, and that we need to be fighting for them.
It is also clear now where Conservative MPs stand. Their leader has never advocated more military, financial or humanitarian support for Ukraine. They voted against the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. Yesterday, the leader of the Conservative Party referred dismissively to Ukraine as a faraway foreign land. Under this leader, the Conservative Party has abandoned Ukraine.
Could the Prime Minister please reassure Canadians that the government will stand with the Ukrainian people until they win?
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- Dec/13/23 3:21:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we see how much the Conservatives hate it when we talk about Ukraine.
I thank the member for Etobicoke Centre for his leadership in supporting Ukraine.
The Conservatives, yet again, showed Ukrainians and all Canadians who they really are. When it came time to support military aid to Ukraine, they voted against. When it came time to support Operation Unifier, they voted against. When it came to the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement, twice they voted against.
While the Conservative leader is busy taking talking points from Fox News and Donald Trump, on this side of the House, we support Ukraine.
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- Dec/13/23 3:29:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order on the issue of decorum under Standing Order 18. The entire time I, a person of Ukrainian heritage, was giving my S. O. 31, I was heckled and yelled at by the Liberals.
When the member for Etobicoke Centre got up, he actually misinformed the House when he said that we were opposed to Ukraine. Actually, the Liberals voted against all the measures we took as a government, as Conservatives. The Liberals voted consecutively, in 2014 and 2015, against measures to support Ukraine, including Operation Unifier and Operation Reassurance.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/13/23 5:22:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the countries that the member missed is the United States, where there are many states that actually have a price on pollution. I suspect that it is only going to be a question of time before the United States will, in fact, have a price on pollution, because, as I say, there are many states that currently do.
What is really important for us to recognize is that the price on pollution makes a lot of sense, as countries around the world are adopting it, including the European Union. That is one of the reasons why Ukraine has had it since 2011. One has to ask the question, why does the Conservative Party continuously vote against Ukraine, specifically the Canada-Ukraine trade agreement? It is totally amazing.
There is only one answer and that answer is that it is the MAGA right of the United States that is creeping into Canada via the office of the leader of the official opposition, who wants to be the golden boy of advertising and misleading, the Donald Trump of the north, as one of my colleagues would say.
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