Mr. Chair, I rise today with a very heavy heart and great concern for the people of Ukraine. I come from a consistency where probably a third of my constituents are from Ukrainian heritage and many kept contact, even through the darkness of the Soviet period when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. They kept contact, maintained relationships and sent care packages to their families in Ukraine. That has been sustained and today they still feel an extremely close connection with their country of origin.
I feel great concern because not only has President Yanukovych put in place a customs union with Russia, which, in itself, would not be a bad thing, it would be a good thing, but that he has ended negotiations on the association agreement with the European Union. That is what really leads to a concern.
I have a question for my colleague. My friends and neighbours, who have now become my family through marriage, in the constituency are concerned that what is happening in Ukraine may be a re-Sovietization of the area, that what is happening may be the start of a movement to an expansion on the part of Russia to a new Soviet-style regime. We do not know how far that would go or whether that would happen. We all hope and pray that it would not. Is it beyond the realm of possibility? Sadly, I fear not. I think it is possible and I hope and pray that it is not the case.
I want to ask my colleague whether he sees a danger that this movement could be the start of a process that could, in fact, lead to that tragic outcome.