Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Deputy Prime Minister, thank you very much for being with us today.
Thank you for wearing the ribbon you're wearing and for being there to commemorate the Holodomor in Toronto. I know it was very meaningful to the community and to many Canadians.
We're here today to study a bill that has important affordability measures for Canadians to help folks with the cost of living.
I think it's important to understand that global factors are driving inflation and affordability here at home. We know, as all of us have heard from multiple witnesses at this committee, how Russia's invasion of Ukraine for the last 21 months has impacted energy prices and food prices globally and here at home. These are prices that Canadians pay at the grocery store and at the pumps every day.
To stop these global pressures on inflation, I believe we have to ensure that Ukraine achieves a decisive victory in this war. The modernized Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement is essential to this. All parties in this House, except for one, understand this.
Minister, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the Conservative Party's failure to support Ukraine by voting against the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement in this time of need.