Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we continue to be dismayed at the images coming out of Bucha, Mariupol and other towns and villages throughout Ukraine where the atrocities committed by Russian forces are coming to light. Canada has supported Ukraine every step of the way, both before and after the Russian invasion, but Ukrainians still need our help. Could the Prime Minister tell the House and Canadians about the me…
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Mr. Speaker, the world has watched in horror over the past few weeks as Russia continues its unprovoked and horrific full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian people are not just fighting for their own freedom; they are fighting for all of us. Canada has taken strong action to support the Ukrainian people in that fight. Before Russia's invasion began, Canada began providing military support to…
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Mr. Speaker, over a month ago, Russia began an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have been very courageous in defending their homeland, but the situation is dire. They are fighting for their very existence. There is a humanitarian crisis, and this is a threat to Canada's security, to global security and to Europe's security. Ukrainians are not only fighting for thems…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, today, five Ukrainian members of parliament are in Canada to ask for our help. Over a month ago, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian people have been severely outnumbered and outgunned, but they have shown tremendous courage in defending their freedom and their homeland. I think it is fair to say that Canadians and people around the world have been inspired by…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I hope you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move: That, given the Russian Federation's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine, the House: (a) Condemns this unjustified and unprovoked attack, which was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as a clear violation of international la…
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Madam Chair, I am grateful for the support that many of the members of the official opposition have shown for the steps that the government has taken. A lot of unity has been shown, and it is really important at this time. A lot of the measures that Canada and other countries have instituted have been around providing Ukraine with military support, like the announcement that was made today around …
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Madam Chair, I wanted to thank the member for his remarks and for his advocacy. He mentioned that the Sikh community was working with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation to raise money for humanitarian needs. Could he tell us about the important work that they are doing to help the Ukrainian people?
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the member for her remarks but also for her advocacy and her work, particularly in her parliamentary secretary role. Could she speak to and summarize for the folks watching at home what some of the key things are that Canada has done from a humanitarian perspective and what still needs to be focused on in the days and weeks to come?
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her intervention and her advocacy. The humanitarian needs are tremendous. I actually asked a question of the minister about this today. Civilians are being killed as we speak. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, are being displaced and fleeing. There is a tremendous need for the world to do so much more to support those who are fleeing, and I certainly belie…
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian government has already demonstrated that it will work to support people who are fleeing war and Ukraine. I hear the member's suggestion, and I thank him very much for that. I think it is vitally important that Canada do everything it can to bring Ukrainians who need out to Canada. The government has already announced that we are doing this, and we will continue to work on…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his advocacy around helping those Ukrainians who are displaced and fleeing their country and need our help. Canada has an important role to play in making sure we support those who need our help, providing humanitarian assistance and also welcoming Ukrainians to Canada, where they can find refuge. The Government of Canada has been working very closely with provi…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Thunder Bay—Rainy River. I am proud to rise today during this take-note debate in the House of Commons to speak to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. A couple of days ago, I was joined by several of my colleagues in requesting this emergency take-note debate in the House of Commons. We felt it was important to provide an opportunity fo…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the leader of the Bloc Québécois for his speech. I would also like to thank the Bloc Québécois members for their enthusiastic support of the measures the Government of Canada implemented recently to aid Ukraine during these extremely difficult times. Today, the Government of Canada announced a third shipment of arms, anti-tank weapons this time, to Ukraine. I wou…
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Madam Speaker, in his remarks, the member alluded to a discussion that was being had around RT, Russia Today, and misinformation. I heard the member suggest that the Liberal government considers misinformation to be only things it does not agree with or does not like. I am wondering if the member could clarify for me if that is indeed what he said and if he does agree that Russia Today is full of …
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Mr. Speaker, over the last few days what we have seen is a brutal military assault by Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia on Ukraine, on democracy and on the international rules-based order that protects countries and civilians around the world. There are countless men, women and children who as we speak are being killed, who are displaced and who desperately need humanitarian assistance. Could the …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, the Emergencies Act has been critical in supporting what is happening in Ottawa today and, frankly, in clearing blockades at the border crossings over the last number of days. I say that because there are a number of measures in the Emergencies Act that give the police powers they did not have before, such as cutting off funding for the blockades, ensuring that people who are blockadi…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to start by sharing a story. One of the earliest photos I remember of myself and my grandparents is from the mid- to late eighties. For background, my grandparents immigrated to Canada after World War II from Ukraine, and my grandmother survived the Holodomor, the famine genocide in 1932-33 when Joseph Stalin closed Ukraine's borders and confiscated all food to destroy millions…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her words. We have done a tremendous amount of work, but we have a lot more work to do. There are members on duty today who have led a lot of that work. Many members have worked very hard to address extremism in this country, and I look forward to working with them and others on all sides of the House to make sure that we do so.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. First, I would say that I am not worried about setting a precedent because the act, as written, ensures that MPs and Canadians can scrutinize how the act was used. There are protections in the act to ensure it is not used if it is not necessary. Second, Windsor was an exception. With other border crossing blockades, the act helped the police put …
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I think you fill find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion: That the House: a) stand firm in supporting sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in the face of growing Russian aggression in and around Ukraine; b) strongly condemns the Russian Duma's vote recognizing the so-called Donetsk and Luhan…
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Mr. Speaker, I was listening to the member opposite speak about the importance of protecting the dignity of seniors and supporting their quality of life. That is an objective we all share. One of the things I and a number of MP colleagues have advocated for over the past year is national standards for long-term care. We have advocated for that, and the government has committed to it. The reason we…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity has been steadfast. We have been there for the people of Ukraine, with economic, social, development and military support. However, with Russia's increasing aggression and with threats of a further invasion of Ukraine, many Canadians and I are more concerned than ever. Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs please sha…
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Madam Speaker, my constituents in Etobicoke Centre consistently share with me that they expect us to do all we can to fight climate change. Transportation accounts for one-quarter of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions and many Canadians are reducing their carbon footprints by making a switch to zero-emission vehicles. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources plea…
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Mr. Speaker, in 2014, Russia twice invaded Ukraine, first in Crimea and then in eastern Ukraine. Recently, Russia has amassed over 130,000 soldiers on Ukraine's border and is threatening a further invasion of Ukraine. This further Russian aggression is a threat to not only Ukraine's security, but Europe's security, that of our allies and Canada's security. Would the Prime Minister please explain w…
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Mr. Chair, I have the opportunity to work with the member closely. I have been on the defence committee with him, but also on the Canada-Ukraine Friendship Group. I was a little surprised at one moment during his speech when he talked about how the Conservative government sent lethal weapons to Ukraine. The Conservative government did not send lethal weapons to Ukraine. I do think it is interestin…
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Mr. Chair, it was wonderful to hear, particularly in the first part of the member's remarks, a bit about her community of Lakeland and the Ukrainian heritage that so many people in Lakeland value and share, how they celebrate that, and how that inspires their concern for what is happening right now in Ukraine. Could the member speak a bit about sanctions? She mentioned briefly in her remarks the n…
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Mr. Chair, I am just following up on my question. One thing that has changed so much for the Ukrainian military since 2014 is its capability, and much of that capability has been developed through the support of its partner countries, such as Canada through Operation Unifier, the United States, the U.K. and others that have training missions. I wonder if the member could speak to whether she belie…
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Mr. Chair, I was listening intently to the member's remarks, and I think a lot of members during this debate have spoken about the need to deter Russia's further invasion of Ukraine. I am wondering if the member could speak to the steps that she believes Canada and the international community need to take to deter the further invasion of Ukraine.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question and for her support. I think it is important for a number of reasons. First of all, when we look at what could happen if Russia invades Ukraine, Russia will have again violated the sovereignty of its neighbour Ukraine. This is not the first neighbour's sovereignty that Russia will have violated. It invaded Georgia in 2008. This is a …
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Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise as a part of this emergency take-note debate on Ukraine and the buildup of Russian forces along its borders. I will be sharing my time with the member for Parkdale—High Park. A week and a half ago, I was joined by a number of my colleagues in requesting this emergency debate. We thought it was important that members from all parts of this country and from all partie…
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Mr. Speaker, like I said, Canada and the international community need to do everything possible. As the Prime Minister announced, the minister is in Ukraine to assess Ukraine's needs and what can be best done to deter an invasion. I look forward to hearing what the Minister of National Defence has to say when she returns. Like I said, it is incumbent upon all of us in the international community t…
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Mr. Speaker, it is important that we help the Ukrainian military improve in every way possible. In fact, that is what I think Operation Unifier has been doing. If we look back at all the various elements of training that Operation Unifier has provided, it is not just combat training. It is leadership. It is integration. It is learning how the militaries of countries that are part of NATO operate. …
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Madam Chair, I want to thank my colleague for her speech. She talked at length about diplomacy. She pointed out some aspects of our diplomacy where she sees contradictions. I just wanted to say that on the issue of our Prime Minister meeting with Vladimir Putin, I think the decision to meet with someone or to not meet with someone is also part of a diplomatic strategy. It might be worthwhile. In m…
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Madam Chair, it was interesting to hear the member speak about former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The member said that he spoke unambiguously. I do not disagree; I think he spoke unambiguously. I think the current Prime Minister has spoken unambiguously. I think our Minister of Foreign Affairs has spoken unambiguously. One of the things that our Prime Minister has done, preceding my time in off…
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Madam Chair, one of the things the government has done over the past number of years is impose sanctions on a range of individuals and entities who have either violated human rights or contributed to violating Ukraine's sovereignty. We know that in Crimea, for example, there are tremendous human rights abuses against the Crimean Tatars by the now occupying Russian forces and administrations. There…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, as a boy, I lived next door to the Polish Consulate in Toronto, and I remember seeing countless demonstrations by the Polish Canadian community in support of Solidarnosc, one of the most well-known and most successful pro-democracy and human rights movements of our time. The communist regime in Poland wanted to crush Solidarnosc and to do that, 40 years ago it imposed martial law. Sol…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-204, An Act respecting Ukrainian Heritage Month. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce a bill entitled an act respecting Ukrainian heritage month. If passed, the bill will declare September of every year in Canada Ukrainian heritage month. I would like to thank the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore for cosponsoring this bill with me, and I hope members on all si…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 88th anniversary of the famine genocide in Ukraine known as the Holodomor, when Joseph Stalin closed Ukraine's borders and confiscated all food to destroy a Ukrainian population opposed to his rule. Nineteen people per minute, 1,200 per hour and 28,000 per day were dying of famine at the height of the Holodomor. The world was silent. Millions died as a result…
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