Mr. Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this debate. Like so many of my colleagues, I have been following the situation in Ukraine closely. I meet frequently with members of the Ukrainian Canadian community in Etobicoke—Lakeshore and I know how serious the current situation is.
The concerns are larger than a free trade agreement. We are concerned about the use of selective sentencing in the case of Yulia Tymoshenko and others. We are also concerned about the weakness of democratic institutions, the resulting damage to the Ukrainian economy and, of course, the lack of opportunity and hope for Ukrainians, especially youth.
Our government is deeply disappointed with the Ukrainian government's decision to suspend its association agreement and the deep and comprehensive free trade area negotiations with the European Union. We believe this decision is a lost opportunity and we stand with all Ukrainians who are fighting for a democratic, free, independent and prosperous Ukraine.
Ukraine's best hope for democracy and economic prosperity lies in closer alignment with Euro-Atlantic norms and institutions. Unlike Poland, Slovakia and other eastern European states that have made great progress since the fall of Communism, Ukraine's economic transition has been much slower and more difficult. Today, people of Ukrainian heritage make up almost 4% of the total Canadian population. Over the generations, we have developed a close bilateral relationship, a solid economic partnership and strong people to people ties.
I would like to take a few moments today to talk about Canada's work to help Ukraine achieve economic prosperity.
Canada is focusing on three broad areas of intervention to aid in Ukraine's economic growth through our development assistance plan that is focused on building democracy through strong economic foundations.
The first is to strengthen the investment climate in a sustainable way by building economic foundations. This means improving the capacity at all levels of government to deliver on the basic needs of citizens and to create a supportive framework for business growth, trade and investment.
The second focus area is building businesses, especially those that are micro, small and medium-sized firms, to make them sustainable and competitive.
I want to mention, Mr. Chair, that I will be splitting my time with the member for Mississauga East—Cooksville.
As I was saying, this means helping entrepreneurs access business networks and financing, value chains and productivity-enhancing technology.
The third focus area is investing in people, particularly women and youth, to build a skilled workforce that can thrive in a rapidly expanding labour market. Investments of development assistance in these three areas will lead to increased employment opportunities and enhanced business productivity in Ukraine, resulting in rising household incomes and reduced poverty over the long term. Canada's development program has contributed significantly to advancing Ukraine's sustainable economic growth.
One of the key sectors in Ukraine is agriculture. What is required for agriculture is agricultural insurance so farmers can invest with confidence and allow banks to loan to farmers with confidence. With support from Canada, Ukraine has implemented a new agricultural insurance system based on international best practices.
Canadian support has also helped increase the competitiveness of smallholder horticulture and dairy farmers who have invested in improved technology and are working together to market higher-value, higher-quality products demanded by the marketplace. With help from Canada, participating smallholder horticulture farmers in southern Ukraine have sold over 12,000 tonnes of produce for over $12 million and they have increased their household incomes over 30% since the start of the project.
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has worked with municipal partners in Ukraine to develop and implement regional economic development plans that have helped attract projects that total more than $5.4 million of outside investment.
We are working to improve the planning and delivery of services and we are assisting with the development of a national demand-driven vocational skills training system across the country. Each of these initiatives will help to increase broad-based economic growth in Ukraine critical to creating a healthy and politically engaged middle class.
We are doing all of these things and so much more because we believe in Ukraine and its people and we will continue with this important work. We remain hopeful that preparations for the Ukraine-EU agreement will resume in the near future and Canada has been lending its voice to encourage Ukraine to continue those discussions.
As we know from experience, one trade arrangement with one bloc does not preclude concluding other trade arrangements with others. The fact that we have recently concluded an agreement in principle with the European Union does not prevent us from having a very profitable arrangement with North America, for example.
We assume that the Ukrainian people will continue their struggle and we will be there to support them. Hopefully, they will move forward to a more prosperous future.