Foreign Affairs Committee on Feb. 26th, 2014

Evidence of meeting #14 for Foreign Affairs and International Development in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was ukraine.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Situation in Ukraine

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Matthew Levin Director General, Europe and Eurasia Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Dave Metcalfe Director General, Europe, Middle East and Maghreb - Development, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Andrew P.W. Bennett Ambassador, Office of Religious Freedom, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Mike MacDonald Director General, Operational Management and Coordination, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Tamara Guttman Director General, Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Zenon Potoczny President, Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce

Taras Zalusky Executive Director, National Office, Ukrainian Canadian Congress

5:10 p.m.

Executive Director, National Office, Ukrainian Canadian Congress

Taras Zalusky

I am a member of the delegation.

5:10 p.m.

NDP

Hélène Laverdière NDP Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC

You too. Okay. I am a little jealous, because I would have liked to be part of it as well, or at the very least, I would have liked some members of the opposition to be part of it. We are telling Ukrainians that all the parties must work together. So it would have been a good idea to have a Canadian delegation with members from all parties.

That said, what do you think this delegation should accomplish? Whom should it meet with? In your view, what should the main objective of the delegation be?

5:15 p.m.

Executive Director, National Office, Ukrainian Canadian Congress

Taras Zalusky

First, it is of paramount importance that the Government of Canada formally acknowledges Ukraine's new government. Second, this delegation should meet with the ministers who will be in office. Right now, there is a new parliamentary speaker and an interim president. Canada should continue to support Ukraine. Third, the delegation should meet with people from the civilian sector, from Maidan and from other departments to see where Canada is most needed.

Honestly, I think it is time to act. We cannot know in advance what the needs are. We should target them and do everything in our power to address them.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

Thank you very much Mr. Potoczny, and thank you, Mr. Zalusky. We appreciate your coming on very short notice, so thank you very much.

We need to have unanimous consent because the bells have started. We talked about it before because there's a little committee business we need to do. Could I have unanimous consent to move in camera for that for five minutes, because we have to get going.

5:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

5:15 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Dean Allison

It'll take us two minutes to clear the room and then we have five minutes to take care of a couple of things.

[Proceedings continue in camera]