Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am pleased to be with you today.
I also want to thank the entire team from Global Affairs Canada. I would like to thank Ms. Morgan, who is accompanying me, and everyone who is online.
I'm glad to have this opportunity to appear before you to discuss my mandate letter and my priorities as Minister of Foreign Affairs. I would be remiss if I did not start with the impacts of Russia's illegal and unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine.
It's not hyperbole to say that in the past month the world has fundamentally changed. When Vladimir Putin launched his unjustifiable further invasion of Ukraine, he launched the greatest challenge to global security since World War II.
The last few weeks have been a somewhat brutal reminder that democracy is not guaranteed and can never be taken for granted.
Today, the battlefield is in Ukraine, but the threat hangs over the entire world. As President Zelensky said last week in his moving address to Parliament, Ukraine, a sovereign country, is fighting for its life. Ukrainians are defending their freedom and their right to choose a better future for their children.
The Government of Canada has done everything in its power since the start of the crisis to contribute to a diplomatic solution and supply vital support to Ukraine. We do this in the memory of those who have perished since the conflict began and to honour the courage of the Ukrainians who continue to fight fiercely day after day.
We're in constant communications with Ukraine and our allies. I just had a conversation this morning with Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign affairs minister from Ukraine, and we're holding a common diplomatic front. Canada and the international community must hold those responsible to account.
During this crisis, we have seen an unprecedented mobilization of the global economies to impose severe sanctions on the Russian regime. The economic sanctions we have put in place have a clear, precise goal: to suffocate the Russian regime and the individuals who have financed and allowed this invasion. That includes the people who are fuelling this war with propaganda and disinformation by the bucketload.
To date, Canada has imposed sanctions on over 1,000 Russian and Belarusian individuals and entities for their role in the Ukrainian crisis. We have excluded the Russian banks from the international SWIFT system; we have prohibited imports of crude oil and cancelled all Russian export permits; we are preventing Russian and Belarusian aircraft from entering our airspace; and we are denying access to Russian vessels in our ports.
We're delivering lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine. We have donated nearly $200 million to humanitarian efforts, and we are ready to welcome into Canada Ukrainians fleeing the war.
As you have heard me say many times, all options remain on the table, and we will continue to put maximum pressure on the Russian regime while supporting the people of Ukraine.
We have at all times urged Russia to change course, using all diplomatic means at our disposal. Canada has played a leadership role by putting maximum pressure on the Russians in multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the G7, NATO, the Arctic Council, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Commonwealth, and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
This is also why Canada was one of the first countries to take the issue before the International Criminal Court. It is also why we are supporting Ukraine in the proceedings it has instituted before the International Court of Justice. Canada will continue to do everything in its power to keep the Russian regime's back to the wall.
We will seek accountability for this atrocity. I want to thank my opposition critics for the unanimity we have been able to show on this critical file. I believe the message that Canadians and our Parliament stand united with the people of Ukraine is a strong one. I also want to thank you for the constructive ideas you have offered.
Before we turn to your questions, I would like to speak to two files that I am working on alongside our government's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The current crisis has underscored the need for a new approach to working with our democratic partners in the Arctic and Indo-Pacific regions. Upholding and strengthening the rules-based international order are core Canadian principles that have also been under long-term strategic pressure in both the Arctic and the Indo-Pacific, so I look forward to pursuing my engagement in both of these regions and to working collaboratively with you and all members of the committee and of this House.
Thank you.