Hon. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia: Honourable senators, one of the things that I am most proud of about my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador is our spirit of welcoming and generosity. It is the spirit honoured in the musical Come from Away, celebrating the town of Gander’s welcoming of nearly 7,000 stranded airline passengers in the hours following the 9/11 attacks. It is that spirit that allowed me to build a life, a career and a home in my beloved Twillingate, shining a bright light into a period of darkness and angst in my own life.

Today, I rise to recognize a new chapter in my province’s spirit of welcoming and hospitality. On May 9, the Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, welcomed 166 Ukrainian refugees at St. John’s International Airport through Canada’s first government-sponsored flight for people fleeing Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

This airlift, which departed from Katowice, Poland, is the culmination of the work of the Ukrainian Family Support Desk, a provincial government initiative that ensures that all arriving refugees have support while integrating into their new community. All arriving Ukrainians have been granted the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel visa that legally allows them to live and work in Canada for up to three years. Ukrainians arriving in my province under this visa will also receive provincial medical and prescription coverage.

With the help of the Association for New Canadians, our new Ukrainian neighbours were provided with pre-arranged accommodations in the St. John’s region, and given assistance with finding employment and accessing various other supports for newcomers.

The residents of Newfoundland and Labrador have connected virtually to provide additional community support. In St. John’s, for example, Michael Holden created a Facebook group page that offers housing, employment and relevant local information and other assistance to those looking to escape the war in Ukraine. The group has over 10,000 members and describes itself as our new “come from away” story.

Honourable senators, I and my fellow senators from Newfoundland and Labrador, Senators Furey, Marshall, Manning and Wells, are extraordinarily proud to represent a province that has welcomed our new Ukrainian neighbours with kindness and generosity and will always welcome those in need who come from away.

Slava Ukraini. Thank you, meegwetch.

[Translation]