Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much, Your Excellency, for being here today. It is truly an honour to welcome you to our committee. I think it speaks to the importance of the work that the foreign affairs committee has been doing for some time now. The situation was indeed a priority for our government members well before the invasion. As you may know, we put forward a motion as a matter of urgency and began studying this matter in this committee in early February.
I don't believe it's trite to once again repeat that Ukraine is fighting not only for its own sovereignty and democracy but indeed for the democracy of all countries, and that includes Canada. I would also like to thank you for recognizing, as you did in your introduction a few moments ago, Canada's unwavering support to Ukraine. You mentioned in particular our economic support but also the shipments of lethal and non-lethal weapons. I think that's important to highlight along with the recent announcement for the provision of howitzers and additional ammunition, and the $500 million that was included in our government's budget, which, to your point just now, will also go for the provision of weapons. I do hope, given your call to action to us today, that this budget will pass very quickly.
I also believe that it's important to underscore the extraordinary community work being done on the ground across Canada, including in my riding. I'd like to tell everyone here that Sandra Ezril, who runs the Terrasse Royale hotel in Montreal, recently opened the doors of her establishment to Ukrainians, absolutely free of charge, to help these newcomers.
In your presence, Your Excellency, I would also like to recognize Katherine Smolynec from my community. She is the president of the Ukrainian National Federation in Montreal. Just this weekend, she welcomed Ukrainians seeking safety in our country.
On this topic of civilians trying to reach safety through humanitarian corridors, I would like you to comment on the situation at the moment. It is my understanding that Russia is repeatedly bombing and attacking the safety of our humanitarian corridors in Ukraine. How would you describe the current situation of these humanitarian corridors, speaking in particular, as you just did, of the situation that is absolutely devastating in Mariupol?