Mr. Chair, I must admit that I'm not sure where I stand anymore. It almost feels like we're ending up with one extra meeting than originally proposed, when the goal was to get back to the overall situation in Ukraine as quickly as possible. I would remind members that Russia has called up reserve troops and placed its nuclear forces on alert. While I agree that the turbine issue is important, I feel we're overlooking the key issues right now.
As I mentioned earlier, perhaps there's no need to add witnesses if, by some chance, we're able to agree to recommend that the government suspend or revoke the permit. If we can agree on that, there's really no use continuing and enhancing testimony on the turbine issue.
Mr. Chair, I will go back to what I was saying at the beginning. I asked an informal question to our friends on the government side, so maybe we'll get an answer from them by the end of the meeting. I don't want this to drive a wedge between us. However, I will say it's very clear to me that even if we were called to repair all five turbines over the next two years, Russia wouldn't start supplying Germany again. So, in a way, the joke is on us if we maintain this permit. It should just be revoked.
I reiterate that we were very careful not to blame the government, as we were well aware that this was an extremely difficult and uncomfortable decision for them. That being said, even the German ambassador said that we no longer really needed this permit now that Vladimir Putin has been caught bluffing and the world has seen that he's acting in bad faith, especially with this morning's announcement.
If our Liberal colleagues are open to it, let's recommend that the government revoke the permit, and then they can do as they see fit with the recommendation. Personally, I see no point in unduly prolonging the turbine study. We should quickly move on to much more pressing issues. For example, Ms. Bendayan alluded to the fact that Ukraine has been and is currently engaged in a counteroffensive that's getting results and it's waiting for us to step up. Countries like Germany and the United States are buying weapons to ship to Ukraine, and meanwhile we're taking far too long to answer the call from Ukrainian authorities. A very compelling CBC News article entitled “Ukraine presses Canada to send more weapons as its forces push east” notes that Canada has been slow to respond to the Ukrainians' requests. It seems to me that that's a priority. I also see the question of sanctions as a priority.
If we agree to ask the government to suspend the turbine permits, then by gosh, can we stop wasting our precious time discussing that issue and focus on the truly critical and strategic issues? As we speak, Ukraine is fighting a merciless battle to regain its territory and it needs our support. Let's not waste our time splitting hairs when barbarians are at the gate.