Mr. Chairman and honourable members, as my colleague Matthew Levin has mentioned, Russia of course continues to violate Ukraine's sovereignty and to undermine its security and stability, a source of great concern for Canada and the international community as a whole.
In this context, we are working closely with Ukraine and with our international partners to support Ukrainian security in the face of these challenges.
Since January 2014 the Government of Canada has scaled up its assistance to Ukraine through a whole-of-government effort that includes multiple departments and agencies.
Within the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, we have the global peace and security fund or GPSF, the religious freedom fund, the global partnership program, as well as, of course, bilateral development assistance and international humanitarian assistance, which have all made important contributions.
My colleague Dave Metcalfe will be speaking about the development programs shortly.
In the area of security and stabilization, Canada has been actively supporting Ukraine’s security sector and institutions.
For example, we have provided ongoing support to the OSCE's special monitoring mission, the SMM, an unarmed civilian mission that aims to reduce tension and foster stability and security. This has included the deployment of 22 Canadians who are experts in security, human rights, and the rule of law, as well as media.
Further, Canada continued its contributions to free and fair elections in Ukraine over the past year by sending some 300 observers to both presidential and parliamentary elections in 2014, including, of course, various Canadian members of Parliament.
Through the religious freedom fund, we are also supporting the OSCE’s efforts to enhance the ability of Ukrainian security forces to monitor and react to religious persecution.
We are thereby complementing the assistance to local Ukrainian organizations helping to improve religious awareness and tolerance. In response to a request from the Ukrainian government and in collaboration with international partners, the global peace and security fund has provided non-lethal military equipment that addresses the critical needs of Ukraine’s forces.
Specifically, Canadian programming has enhanced secure communications to counter Russian interference, has improved the health and safety of armed forces, has provided equipment and kit to support operational effectiveness, and has given support to the Department of National Defence for the training of Ukrainian armed forces.
The GPSF is also being used to build capacity in Ukraine's security institutional reform. Canadian contributions to the NATO-Ukraine trust funds are assisting Ukraine in developing its command, control, communications, and computer capabilities and reforming logistic systems and implementing NATO standards within the armed forces. We have also deployed a Canadian security expert to the NATO liaison office in Ukraine.
Russia's actions have a destabilizing impact across the region as well. For this reason, the global peace and security fund programming is contributing to the establishment of NATO centres of excellence in cyber defence, energy security, and strategic communications to help strengthen the regional framework in these areas.
Finally, further programming is being considered in various areas, including, for example, enhancing border security, reforming police, building military capacity, and assisting countries in the region to counter Russian aggression.
Similarly, the global partnership program is exploring opportunities to help strengthen Ukrainian capacities to secure chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials and to prevent their acquisition by non-state actors for use as weapons of mass destruction.
Now I will turn the floor over to Dave Metcalfe. Of course, we'll be happy to answer questions afterwards.
Merci.