I stand today on behalf of the leader of the official opposition and the Ontario NDP caucus along with the entire House to solemnly mark the first anniversary of the brutal escalation by the Putin regime’s long, bloody, nine-year invasion of Ukraine, a peaceful and democratic country. It has led to hundreds of thou-sands of innocent lives lost, millions displaced and the destruction of homes, communities, entire cities. We cannot turn a blind eye to the blatant violations of international law and of human rights.

New Democrats and all Canadians stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and we will continue to do so. We will provide aid to the people of Ukraine and work together to bring an end to the war.

Canada is home to a large number of people of Ukrainian descent. Canadians have always stood with Ukraine and Ukrainians to help them in their struggle to change their country from a repressive, corrupt, colonial subset of a large, autocratic empire to a free, open and democratic state. When the war escalated and waves of Ukrainians were fleeing, people and countries around the world mobilized to provide support. I remember the solidarity rally at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. The square was packed with people, and the Ukrainian flag was flying proudly at city hall. Toronto stood in solidarity, and that solidarity was felt strongly.

As legislators, we were all eager to do our part. MPPs from all parties were vocal in our support for the people of Ukraine. Several of my colleagues from the government side and I met at the Polish consulate with both the consuls general of Ukraine and Poland to learn more and figure out what we could do and how we could offer support.

I spoke to the then Minister of Health and Deputy Premier and urged that Ontario drop the three-month waiting period for Ukrainian refugees who were coming to Ontario, so that they could get immediate medical support, especially for children escaping the war. This was echoed by my colleague the member from London West in this House as well, and the province did follow through with that, and also provided funding for various programs for Ukrainian refugees. That was the right thing to do, and we commend the government for that.

In my conversations with members of the Ukrainian Canadian community, they are urging for continued support and action from the province, particularly funding resettlement agencies to provide services for help with integration, language assessment and ESL classes; funding for job training and apprenticeships in areas where skilled workers are needed; funding incentives for new-comers to move to northern and rural areas; fast-tracking Ukrainian nurses and doctors to help them with registration and certification; and allowing Ukrainian students on CUAET visas wanting to attend college or university to qualify for domestic fees and not international student fees. These are some of the steps that we in the province can and should take.

Speaker, all levels of government were hands-on and involved in various efforts. I do want to also mention the school boards and the schools, who were very quick to support the kids coming into Ontario and transition them into our public school system.

One of the things that moved me greatly and showed the deep support for the people of Ukraine was how everyday Ontarians were going the extra mile and acted to be a part of the various efforts to support Ukraine. I want to share some examples that happened in my community of Parkdale–High Park. A solidarity march was put together in September 2022 by the Ukrainian festival organizers in Bloor West Village. The Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society, a non-profit based in my riding, has been working hard around the clock to provide settlement assistance to refugees; so has Romero House. Small businesses like Shakey’s in Bloor West Village and Noctua in the Junction showed their support by raising funds for various Ukrainian aid organizations. The Rotary Club of Parkdale-High Park-Humber recently hosted an event at the Roncesvalles United Church to help raise money to clear landmines in Ukraine.

These are just some examples in my community, but there are so many examples in communities across Ontario. The people of Ontario continue to stand with the people of Ukraine, and must do so.

Speaker, all people have the right to freedom and self-determination. The Ukrainian people want dignity over subjugation. The Ukrainian people want peace. Ukraine shall overcome. Ukraine will prevail.