Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and honourable committee members.
I welcome the opportunity to speak with you again about the international priorities of our government and how the work of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development advances those objectives.
I'm keen to provide as much time as possible for your questions, so I'll keep my opening remarks brief and focus on some of the top issues in Foreign Affairs.
Since I last appeared before you, in November, foreign affairs issues have remained significant. A major challenge over the past few months has, of course, been the crisis in Ukraine.
I am proud of the Canadian response to that crisis—the response of Canadians, Parliament and our government.
We are united in our commitment toward a free and democratic Ukraine. The proudly raised Ukrainian flag in front of Parliament is evidence of that.
Canada has been at the forefront, together with our G-7 partners, the European Union, and others in condemning the invasion and annexation of Crimea. The so-called referendum was a complete sham carried out in the intimidating presence of some 20,000 Russian troops. We can never accept ethnic national justification for invading a peaceful, democratic neighbour.
We have coordinated sanctions with our allies, and through the IMF and bilaterally, we are marshalling badly needed resources to support the Ukrainian government, including $220 million from Canada. My department and I have been and will continue to be very focused on our response to this emerging situation.
A few weeks ago I accompanied Prime Minister Harper to Kiev in what was a very clear demonstration of Canada's unwavering solidarity with the new government and the people of Ukraine. The Prime Minister marked the end of his time there by laying flowers as a symbol of Canada's respect for those who died while standing up for democratic change.
The difficult journey that Ukraine has been on is a reminder of the considerable time, effort, and sacrifice that it takes to build societies in which there's respect for freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
In reflecting on that, I think we should take a moment to recognize that the last Canadian soldiers from our mission to Afghanistan have recently come home. This has been the longest active military engagement in Canadian history. More than 2,000 of our finest men and women in uniform were wounded, and 158 paid the ultimate price, as did Canadians in the fields of diplomacy, humanitarian affairs, and journalism.
Just recently, a cowardly terrorist attack at the Kabul Serena Hotel took the lives of nine people, including two Canadian citizens. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those we lost.
There's no finer repudiation of tyranny or affirmation of democracy than the bravery we saw from Afghans last weekend. It was encouraging to see them make their voices heard at the polls in such high numbers, especially an unprecedented number of women. I'd like to single out and pay tribute to the phenomenal work of our entire Canadian team led by Ambassador Deborah Lyons in championing this vital cause throughout the election process. The role of women in building a new democracy, and building civil society, in ensuring a country that is peaceful is tremendously important and one which the government has championed for a good number of years. While Afghanistan clearly has a long way to go, I believe Canadians have made a real and tangible difference in improving the lives of millions of Afghans. We should be very proud of that.
Elsewhere in the world, Canada continues to take principled positions in promoting our values and a forward-leaning posture in advancing our interests. We continue to bang the drum for Canadian jobs and business, most recently with the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement, another achievement for my colleague the Hon. Ed Fast. This is our first FTA in the Asia-Pacific region, and is an example of how Canada continues to broaden its horizons.
Over the past year, my commitments have taken me to Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and across North America. We recognize the world as it is and will be, rather than as it was. That also means not solely relying on the traditional institutions and levers of diplomacy, but also embracing new and innovative tools for advocacy.
This is a fast-paced global environment network and we have to be agile and coordinated. The enlarged mandate of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development is helping us do that, and we can see this integrated approach very clearly in the updated 2014-15 priorities for DFATD.
Thank you very much.