Thank you.
Mr. Chair, it's an honour for me as the national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to appear today before the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence. I thank the committee for allowing me the opportunity to offer testimony today on this topic, which is very important to our community.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress brings under one umbrella all the national, provincial, and local Ukrainian Canadian community organizations with seven provincial councils: the Atlantic region, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and B.C. There are more than 20 local branches across the country and 29 national member organizations, which bring together several hundred community organizations from coast to coast.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has been leading, coordinating, and representing the interests of one of Canada's largest ethnocultural communities, numbering approximately 1.3 million people, for over 75 years.
The UCC is a member and works closely with the Ukrainian World Congress as well as ethnocultural communities across Canada. Through the Canada-Ukraine Stakeholder Advisory Council, the UCC provides consultations to the Government of Canada regarding Canada-Ukraine relations. Representatives of the UCC regularly meet with Canadian government officials, politicians, stakeholders, and policy-makers.
As this committee undertakes an extremely important study on Ukraine, the security and territorial integrity of Ukraine have a direct effect on Canada's and our allies' security and on the international rules-based order. In the last decade, Russia has sought through force to return Russian hegemony to states formerly part of the Soviet Union. This culminated in Russia's annexation of Crimea in February 2014 and shortly thereafter of the eastern Ukraine oblasts of Donetsk and Luhansk. Today, Crimea is under Russian occupation, and the occupying authorities have instituted there a regime of terror against the Crimean Tatar people, ethnic Ukrainians, and anyone who opposes Russia's occupation of Crimea.
Now in its fourth year, Russia's war in Ukraine's east has cost Ukraine more than 10,000 lives; 23,000 people have been wounded or injured; 1.5 million have been internally displaced. Attacks by Russia and its proxy forces on Ukrainian positions are a daily occurrence.
This is not a frozen conflict; it is very much a hot war. Furthermore, it is critical to understand that it is not a civil war. There was never a separatist movement in modern-day Ukraine until one was engineered, financed, and executed by Vladimir Putin and his lieutenants.
In a very short time, Ukraine has reformed its military and security force from one virtually non-existent to an effective fighting force. In fact, the Russian and proxy forces present in the occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are larger than most militaries of European states. The Ukrainian military has successfully stopped their advance, but at a very high cost. In order to bring peace to Ukraine, a greater and more strategic effort from Canada and western allies is needed. Canada needs to focus on two broad objectives: number one, strengthening Ukraine's ability to defend itself; and number two, deterring and opposing further Russian aggression.
Since 2015, Ukraine has been making a request to the United Nations to deploy a peacekeeping mission to the occupied territories in the Donbass region. This request was reiterated recently by President Poroshenko when he met President Trump in Washington and Prime Minister Trudeau in Toronto.
For such a mission to be effective and meaningful, it must be deployed to the entire territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. It must involve the withdrawal of all Russian troops and mercenaries and their tanks and other high-tech weaponry from Ukrainian territory. This UN peacekeeping force must be deployed to the Russia-Ukraine border in order to preclude the continuing infiltration of Russian military, weapons, and equipment into Ukrainian territory.
It goes without saying that Russia as an aggressor state cannot have its personnel on this mission. In order to increase the pressure on Russia to accept an effective and robust UN peacekeeping mission, Canada and NATO should do the following: first, provide Ukraine with defensive military equipment, particularly anti-tank and anti-artillery and radar systems, in order to increase the cost to Russia of any further aggression; and second, continue to ratchet up sanctions on Russia until they agree to such a peacekeeping plan, particularly economic sectoral sanctions and individual sanctions against Russian officials responsible for Russia's aggression and for violations of internationally recognized human rights.
Canada is uniquely placed to be a geopolitical leader for such an approach and also to lead an eventual UN peacekeeping mission. We have a long and proud history of participation in peacekeeping operations and have the international credibility to rally support for such a plan.
On November 14 and 15 of this year, Canada will host the UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial. Over 70 countries will be participating, and this will be an excellent venue for Canada to announce its intent to take on the lead of a UN mission that will finally bring peace to eastern Ukraine.
Canada has just adopted the Magnitsky Act for which the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Ukrainian community have long advocated. This act provides the government with important tools to sanction international human rights abusers. Canada should move swiftly to implement sanctions against Russian officials and individuals responsible for aggression against Ukraine and for the violation of human rights of Ukrainian citizens. There are over 40 Ukrainian citizens currently illegally imprisoned by Russia.
Canada's military training mission in Ukraine, operation Unifier, together with missions of allied countries, have made a huge difference in increasing the capacity of Ukraine's military, for which we are very grateful. These efforts need to continue and be expanded.
I was very proud to be a Canadian while in Ukraine this past August 24 to watch the Independence Day parade from the steps of Independence Square in Kiev as Canada's armed forces marched alongside Ukrainian armed forces and the armed forces of eight other NATO countries. This, dear parliamentarians, sent a very strong message to the Kremlin that Canada and NATO stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.
Canada's involvement on the Defence Reform Advisory Board of Ukraine is having real results in reforming Ukraine's ministry of defence and armed forces as Ukraine implements its goal of NATO interoperability by 2020. On behalf of our community, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Canada's representative to the Defence Reform Advisory Board, Jill Sinclair, for the excellent work on this file.
Several weeks ago during the Invictus Games in Toronto, I had the opportunity to speak with both Prime Minister Trudeau and Ukraine's President Poroshenko about Ukraine's request that Canada take a leadership role in spearheading a UN peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, much like Canada's Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson led the United Nations emergency force to resolve the Suez Canal crisis for which, by the way, he was awarded a Nobel Peace prize.
Canada today has an opportunity to lead the international community in bringing peace to Ukraine and stopping the daily bloodshed. By spearheading a UN peacekeeping mission to Ukraine, Canada has the opportunity to take its rightful place and make a significant difference in returning the world to a rules-based international order.
For over three years, Russia has waged war on Ukraine and occupied sovereign Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian people have made a historical choice to join the Euro-Atlantic community of nations while defending themselves from foreign aggression. The Ukrainian people and government have made enormous strides in reforming their country.
Canada, one of Ukraine's closest friends, has an opportunity to be a geopolitical leader and rally international support for peace. It will not be easy, but we should seize this opportunity to bring peace to eastern Europe and restore a rules-based international order.
Thank you for allowing me to appear before this committee. I will gladly answer any questions you have.