I'll finish with a comment on the government's position on its decision not to grant Ukraine's request for lethal weapons. It seems to me there's a bit of incongruity. The government has said that it's firmly committed to Ukraine joining NATO. Recently, Minister Joly confirmed that.
Article 5 of the NATO treaty states:
The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against [all of them] and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
In other words, the government says that it wants to see Ukraine as a NATO member. If Ukraine were a NATO member, such an attack on Ukraine would be deemed an attack on Canada, and if such attack occurs, Canada would assist Ukraine, including the use of armed force.
If the government is so firmly committed to Ukraine's NATO membership as it's recently confirmed with all the consequences that that entails, including coming to Ukraine's assistance with armed force, it's confounding why Canada today is not coming to Ukraine's assistance by providing lethal defensive weapons. I think that is an incongruity in the government's position. On the one hand it says it wants Ukraine as part of NATO. It's firmly committed to that course of action, which entails that Canada will come to Ukraine's defence in the case of an attack on Ukraine by Russia. On the other hand it's not willing to provide lethal defensive weapons today to Ukraine.
I think there's an incongruity here in the policy. The Americans and the British have a congruent policy, and it's something that the Canadian government needs to address.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's all I have to say.