44th Parl. 1st Sess.
January 31, 2022 11:00AM
- Jan/31/22 2:34:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, diplomacy not backed by credible threats of the use of military force is nothing more than empty talk and rhetoric. Canada should be joining our other democratic allies and working in a multilateral fashion with our NATO partners to grant Ukraine's request and provide lethal defensive weapons.
When will the government quit being so naive about its foreign policy and ensure that it counters the threats coming from authoritarian regimes such as Russia?
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- Jan/31/22 2:35:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are steadfast in supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Let me quote NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. He said, “Canada is one of the lead countries in NATO when it comes to providing support for Ukraine.” He also said, “There are not many other countries at the equal level of efforts, doing as much as Canada.”
We will continue to work with our NATO allies and make sure the situation de-escalates.
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- Jan/31/22 2:35:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the events taking place right now at the Russia-Ukraine border are disturbing to all Canadians who care about world peace.
Unfortunately, Canada's reputation has been tarnished. In today's edition of La Presse, a diplomat posted abroad was extremely critical of the Canadian government's actions. She described its approach as amateurish, bordering on complacent, and said it is not taking this seriously.
When will the Canadian government and the Prime Minister take the current tragic situation in Ukraine seriously?
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- Jan/31/22 2:36:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservatives. On the contrary, we hope to have the support of all members of the House regarding what is happening right now in Ukraine.
We need to send Russia a strong message. Russia is currently the aggressor, and we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
That is why we are putting an enormous amount of energy into the various diplomatic channels, whether through the United States, NATO or the Normandy format, which also includes Germany and France.
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- Jan/31/22 2:36:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is just more talk. What Ukrainians want is real, concrete action.
According to La Presse, the diplomat who is currently working abroad for Canada said that the government is relying more on its illusory soft power, an approach based almost exclusively on image and communications rather than real action. The diplomat said that Canada continues to lecture everyone by boasting about our Canadian values ad nauseam and falling back on diplomacy by press release.
Ukrainians want more than press releases. Ukrainians want real, concrete, effective action from Canada.
When will the Prime Minister take the crisis seriously?
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- Jan/31/22 2:37:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will take no lessons from the Conservative Party, especially since it made massive cuts to all missions abroad when it was in power.
In the circumstances, we are showing leadership on this issue. I went to Ukraine just this week, my colleague, the Minister of National Defence, is there now, and we are working with the Ukrainian government. We are also there to tell the Russian government that if it invades Ukraine again, there will be severe consequences.
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- Jan/31/22 2:38:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Russians are ready for war with Ukraine. They have moved over 100,000 troops surrounding Ukraine's borders. The Russians have moved blood supplies to their field hospitals. The Liberals have pulled back our Operation Unifier trainers west of the Dnipro River.
Could the minister tell Parliament if that means the government considers a diplomatic solution unlikely, and a Russian invasion of Ukraine is now imminent?
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- Jan/31/22 2:38:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, obviously we take the threat of a further Russian invasion very seriously. That is why there are two tacks to stop Russia from further invading Ukraine. The first is the diplomatic one. That is why we are working with NATO and the U.S., and with France and Germany in the Normandy format. Also, we are working on deterrence. That is why we extended and expanded Operation Unifier. We have also prepared an array of economic sanctions against Russia should it further invade.
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- Jan/31/22 2:39:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Ukraine will likely be the scene of a large conventional ground war. We have watched the Russian military buildup in Belarus, Russia, the Donbass and Crimea since the Russian Zapad exercises last September. The government had months to prepare a robust military aid package to Ukraine.
When will the Minister of National Defence provide the lethal weapons that Ukraine needs now?
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- Jan/31/22 2:39:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as mentioned before, we have already answered the call on the part of the Ukrainian government by expanding and extending Operation Unifier. I was there a week ago and met with the Canadian Armed Forces members on site, who right now come from Valcartier, in Quebec City. I saw on the ground how thankful the national guard is to Canadians for making sure that we are providing the right supports to the military and the national guard. We have trained more than 30,000 national guard members and armed forces in Ukraine since 2014.
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- Jan/31/22 2:40:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people are worn out by COVID‑19. We are all fed up with omicron, but we cannot give up yet. What we need now is one big push to end the pandemic once and for all. What omicron showed us is that the pandemic will not be over and done with until the whole world is vaccinated. Global vaccination is the only way out of this crisis.
What is the government doing to speed up vaccination in other countries so that we never have to spend another winter in lockdown?
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- Jan/31/22 2:41:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising that important question.
He is absolutely right. COVID‑19 will not be over anywhere until it is over everywhere. That is why, from day one of the COVID‑19 crisis, Canada was one of the leading instigators behind COVAX, which enabled us early on to make rapid investments not only in vaccine development, but also in delivering and supporting the delivery of tens of millions of vaccine doses. That was the right thing to do.
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- Jan/31/22 2:41:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, people are going out and getting their third doses. They are doing their part.
What people want to hear is not that there are enough vaccines for a possible fourth dose. What they want to hear is that the pandemic is over. For that to happen, everyone around the world needs to be vaccinated. Two weeks ago, I heard the government celebrate the fact that there were one billion doses in the COVAX program, but there are more than three billion people in the world who still have not had their first dose.
Does the government understand that half measures no longer cut it?
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- Jan/31/22 2:42:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague mentioned, the COVID-19 pandemic does not recognize borders and will only be overcome through coordinated global action. This is why Canada stepped up. We are committed to donating the equivalent of at least 200 million COVID-19 vaccines. We are committed to supporting equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines. This includes therapeutics and diagnostics as well.
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- Jan/31/22 2:42:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is pretty clear that time is running out.
If 70% of the world's population is not vaccinated within the next six months, there could be a new wave. We could end up in another crisis. Time is of the essence. Last month, the vice president of human development at the World Bank said: “At this stage, it is not obvious that this objective will be achieved”.
Global vaccination is headed for failure. What is Canada doing right now to right the ship and ensure that we end this pandemic for good?
I would like the answer to that, please.
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- Jan/31/22 2:43:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we stated, Canada is stepping up to provide vaccines for the global community. That is why our government committed $2.6 billion to the COVID-19 response, which includes $1.3 billion for the ACT-Accelerator, of which $545 million is for COVAX. Over $740 million is for humanitarian and development assistance. I could not agree more with the member that all of us in the world need to be vaccinated for all of us to be safe.
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- Jan/31/22 2:44:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all Canadians want to see a leader who will work to heal rifts, not further divide. They want to see a leader who will listen, even to those voices he might not agree with. They want to see a leader who will work to understand, not dismiss, name-call and gaslight. Contrary to some, there are thousands of passionate, patriotic and peaceful Canadians on the Hill right now who just want to be heard.
Will the Prime Minister extend an olive branch and will he listen?
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- Jan/31/22 2:44:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think we all support free speech in the House, but there's a big difference between free speech and inciting hatred, inciting violence and desecrating war memorials, and I would hope my hon. colleague would denounce that in the clearest terms. Those radical leaders are not really interested in free speech because they want to pretend as though vaccines do not work. On this side of the House, we know vaccines work. That is the gateway to freedom, and this government will do everything that we can to get there.
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- Jan/31/22 2:45:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course we all condemn hateful and destructive acts by a few at any protest. Whether it is beheading the statue of Queen Victoria in Manitoba, tearing down the statue of Sir John A. in Montreal or putting flags on Terry Fox, whether it is burning churches or wearing blackface, whether it is Hezbollah flags or Nazi flags, we all condemn it, but I am not talking about that.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jan/31/22 2:45:51 p.m.
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The hon. Minister of Public Safety.
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