Thank you.
Thank you to all the witnesses—profoundly, thank you—not only for your testimony tonight but also for your ongoing work to tell this important story to the world and to Canadians tonight.
I also want to take an opportunity to publicly thank Ms. McPherson for her question today in question period. I'm feeling emotional about this, because it was the only question I got asked, and I think this is the biggest crisis facing Canadians, of all the crises we're dealing with in the world right now, including our own home crises.
I have one first thing to say to you: We believe you. Those are three very simple words: We believe you. There has been a change to our language in these last days. We now, as the Government of Canada, are declaring that we believe these to be war crimes and crimes against humanity. We have taken the word “alleged” out of that very intentionally. While we recognize that they will need to be determined by an international court and international bodies independently, at this point the Government of Canada has received enough evidence from you and from others for us to declare that we believe Ukrainians are facing intentional crimes against humanity and intentional war crimes.
You have been heard. I want to very clearly say that to you tonight, hoping that this will encourage you to keep doing it, because we need the evidence that you are gathering. We need the testimony of people who are surviving. We need photographs. We need all the evidence we can get, because we're not there. We are privileged, at peace and rest in Canada, and we depend on you for your work to bring us that story.
We will continue to go to the International Criminal Court. We will stand with other countries to make sure that this testimony is heard there. We are already sending help to the court to make sure they have the tools to do the job. We also very quickly responded to the Government of Ukraine's request to support them at the International Court of Justice. We as a country cannot simply declare these as war crimes or crimes against humanity, but we believe them to be, and we believe that they will be determined to be, so we will be there.
Given that change in our language, this is an opportunity for each of you individually to take any other opportunity to give us any further evidence. You can take specific issues, if you would like. We were obviously moved and horrified by what happened in Bucha, at the maternity hospital in Mariupol, and in other places where civilians have been targeted. I would like to give each of the three of you an opportunity to add any more evidence that you would like us to hear as a committee, to empower us and to emblazon us to work on your behalf in Canada.
Anyone can begin. You're all perfect.
Go ahead, Oleksandra.