44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 25, 2023 10:00AM
- Apr/25/23 3:12:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we have stood up for Ukrainians against the illegal war by Russia perpetrated on Ukraine. We have initiated sanctions. We have pulled its MFN status. We have raised this issue with Japan, and Japan, too, I would say, has been a strong defender of Ukraine. We will continue to stand up for Canadian fishers.
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Madam Speaker, it is terribly shocking to see who are the real victims of the measures that had to be taken. These economic sanctions against Russia in the context of the invasion of Ukraine had economic repercussions that rippled all the way to our local farms.
The reality for farmers has changed, especially in Abitibi West, where fuel distribution networks do not reach naturally. With the massive increase in costs, one farmer told me that he used to pay $30,000 for diesel fuel, but his budget this year is up to $70,000. His bottom line and his survival are at stake. He had 200 head of livestock, which he will have to reduce to 125 because he can no longer afford to keep up an average-sized farm. He has to reduce the size of his farm.
All this is because the government's measures are not adapted to the reality of remote regions, and that is definitely a problem. Insurance costs will have to be adjusted to this reality. An emergency account will need to be created that will help our farmers access cash flow when they need it.
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- Apr/25/23 10:55:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to ask if the government is considering using the tool of sanctions in the present context to hold accountable those who are involved in this violence and those who are involved in atrocities against civilians. Is the government contemplating the use of that tool at the present time to try to deter further violence against civilians?
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- Apr/25/23 11:10:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad this important debate is able to take place.
This House has indicated in the past that it would support sanctions for the Wagner Group. There are some possibilities it may be looking at, I believe, according to comments made today. Would the member from the Bloc support ensuring sanctions are applied, and applied quickly, if in fact it does become the case that the Russians endeavour to influence or start to pick sides and increase the violence in Sudan, which would risk greater peace and stability in the region?
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- Apr/25/23 11:11:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. We will definitely support every initiative on sanctions, especially for the Wagner Group.
Today, Ukraine's ambassador to Canada appeared before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development to answer our questions. She said that, first, there are not enough sanctions and that, second, they are being poorly applied. It is great to impose sanctions, but they should at least be effective and produce results.
The government is bragging about bringing in several sanctions in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. From what I understand, however, after more than a year of war, these sanctions do not seem to have done anything to improve the situation in Ukraine.
It is one thing to impose sanctions, but they need to be effective and there needs to be enough of them to truly change things.
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- Apr/25/23 11:12:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague's comments on the sanctions are important for us to keep in mind today, because it would be very difficult for Canada to find an adequate way to sanction in this particular situation.
The question I have for him is about one of the things I am quite seized with. In 2014, under Stephen Harper, a law was repealed and took away the duty to protect local embassy staff. What happened in Ukraine and Afghanistan is that the staff who supported the Canadian embassy were left behind, and we are seeing that again. That has not been changed. I have raised this with the minister multiple times. This has not been changed.
I wonder if the member could talk about the fact that right now while we have been able to evacuate the Canadians from the Canadian embassy we have not been able to help our local staff.
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- Apr/25/23 11:25:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague had previously raised the topic of targeted sanctions, from the Wagner Group to, frankly, the individuals who are leading on both sides of the conflict, the people of the Sudanese army and folks in the Rapid Support Forces. Targeting those sanctions is important to ensure that we are really tackling and focusing on the individuals who are driving this violence and not catching any innocents in the crossfire.
I know that in Washington, for example, the Americans have already levied sanctions, but this really needs to be a whole of the western world approach, where it is consistent and coherent across all those countries that share our values of democracy.
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- Apr/25/23 11:55:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is such an important issue that is being debated into the late hours of this evening.
The question has been asked a number of times specifically about the listing of the Wagner Group as a terrorist entity. I know it is something that was brought forward and that this House passed, and it speaks to some of the challenging political circumstances and specifically how the Russians and the dictatorship there could be exercising influence that would destabilize not only Sudan but the region as well.
Could the member comment on the importance of taking that strong stand, listing the Wagner Group as a terrorist entity and making sure sanctions are applied to the greatest extent possible to help address this?
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- Apr/25/23 11:56:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, absolutely we should list the Wagner Group as a terrorist entity, which is something that my colleague moved a motion on in the House. It is something we should all be moving forward on, but listing a group as a terrorist group and sanctioning against it is only as good as the actions taken to enforce the sanctions.
Again, I will say that we have seen this over and over again. In the situation in Ukraine, we saw sanctions being put in place against the perpetrators in Russia. However, they are not being enforced. The government is not taking the full actions necessary to wield the power of those sanctions. While we talk about this, and motions are being passed, what we need is for the government to step up and follow through with actions on the sanctions to yield the kinds of results we want to see.
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