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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 112

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 18, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 112 - Oct/18/22
Mr. René Villemure
  • Oct/18/22 11:15:40 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very relevant question. He mentioned immigration. I will not say any more about that, because the committee discussed it at length and made some very useful recommendations. However, I would like to talk about the fact that it was said that the Canadian embassy in Ukraine was being opened. It was opened, and the diplomatic staff were taken out. I think the first thing we must do is open an embassy. What we need is genuine, meaningful diplomatic dialogue, not superficial diplomatic dialogue or diplomacy conducted via images and tweets. I think seasoned diplomats are needed to establish dialogue between the parties. We are not mediators, but we must have a presence in Ukraine and Russia. There has been quite a bit of talk about closing the embassies in Russia, but that is not a good idea. The dialogue must continue. A long-term diplomatic solution must be seriously considered. Superficial diplomacy is simply not an option. It must be seriously considered.
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Context: House Hansard - 112 - Oct/18/22
Mr. René Villemure
  • Oct/18/22 11:20:42 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. He raises an important point. There is a difference between communicating, that is, transmitting a message, and the language. The language helps add meaning to the story. I think there has been a lot of superficial diplomacy, just for show. Most countries do this, not just Canada. We need to engage in meaningful action and determine which direction we want to take so we can put it into words that actually mean something. Things are a bit blurry right now. The messages are often contradictory and incomplete. I feel that our diplomatic efforts are purely superficial and have no real impact. That is my opinion. I would therefore like us to distinguish between the communication tools we use every day and the language that would enable us to settle an impasse.
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