Mr. Chair, obviously the concern about Ukraine is universal in the House this evening. It is being well expressed on all sides.
I wonder if the hon. member could advise the House on the state of communication between Canada and a number of allies. I am thinking about allies in Europe, other than the Ukraine, the United States, and other parts of the world. We share a common concern about the deterioration of events in Ukraine. How well are we communicating with our allies and potential allies?
Do we have the capacity, perhaps under Canadian leadership, to pull together a group of like-minded countries to develop a specific action plan for what we could do to have a very real impact on the behaviour of President Yanukovych? He seems to be able to act with impunity and sort of thumb his nose at world opinion. It is important that the message be driven home to him in a way that does not damage the Ukrainian people or the economy of the Ukraine. It needs to be driven home to him directly that this behaviour is unacceptable.
The world is watching, and there will be consequences if, for example, there is bloodshed or violence in the Maidan.