Foreign Affairs committee  On the issue of religious freedom and the Russian provocation seeking to create disunity via religious communities, there is work taking place through the Office of Religious Freedom and the religious freedom ambassador, Andrew Bennett. There is quite close interaction between hi

Foreign Affairs committee  You're quite right, Mr. Garneau, on this point. Our view is that this has been a significant line of what I referred to as the hybrid aggression Russia is undertaking against Ukraine, one significant element or stream of which is disinformation. Really from the very early days

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, perhaps I'll start, and General Balfe may wish to add something. With respect to the first part of your question, Mr. Goldring, our assessment is that absolutely the conflict is only and entirely being sustained by Russian support for the separatists. That is support

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, in response to the events in Ukraine, and shortly after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and the initiation of aggression in eastern Ukraine, the government put in place a practice of severely, drastically curtailing engagement between the Canadian government and

Foreign Affairs committee  I would just say in response to that question that Canada's sanction regime is probably the strongest of all the partners' in terms of the number of individuals and entities we have sanctioned.

Foreign Affairs committee  There are differences among the sanction lists of individual members. We have sanctioned individuals and entities that our partners have not, but some—

Foreign Affairs committee  Unfortunately, I really can't discuss this publicly. Because of the integrity of the sanctions regime, we don't discuss publicly the specific application process of the Special Economic Measures Act against particular individuals and entities.

Foreign Affairs committee  No, at this time I am not able to tell you that.

Foreign Affairs committee  There has been very close consultation and cooperation across the range of departments and agencies of the government that have been involved in Canada's response to Russian actions in Ukraine, including between the Department of National Defence and our own department. With resp

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, I'm not sure I have the exact figures. The total staff at the embassy, I believe, is in the neighbourhood of 50 people, but we'll have to subsequently provide, with the committee's permission, the exact figures. That includes, as in every mission, a combination of w

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, regarding the development of Canada's sanctions regime, I would start by saying that Canada has an extremely strong sanctions regime, and as you've said, Mr. Dewar, we've developed our approach in very close consultation and coordination with key partners. Above all

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and honourable members of the committee. As you said, Mr. Chairman, we'd agreed with colleagues that I would begin and then pass the floor to Ms. Guttman and Mr. Metcalfe, and then other colleagues can take questions in areas of their expertise

Foreign Affairs committee  I've seen the formation of the new government, at least those individuals who have been nominated as prime minister, foreign minister. The nominee for foreign minister, throughout his 20-year career in Ukraine academia and politics, has been a strong advocate of European integrat

Foreign Affairs committee  Certainly our position as a government has been to insist that it's fundamentally important that all parties, all partners of Ukraine, all neighbours of Ukraine, respect and support the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Certainly, any notion there might be of reopening borders wo

Foreign Affairs committee  The European Union, not to speak on their behalf, but they have said really throughout, following the Vilnius summit at the end of November where the Yanukovych government made clear its decision not to sign the association agreement that had been negotiated, continued to take th