Mr. Speaker, perhaps you are wondering why a member from northern Ontario wants to talk about this. I think that this affects everyone in Canada.
There are approximately 1.2 million Canadians who have Ukrainian ancestry in Canada. The population in northern Ontario includes over 40,000 people of Ukrainian descent. That is quite a few. In the riding of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, there are many Ukrainians who have helped to build a lot of the communities. Some of them came as a result of war situations. Others came to work in the mines and the mining sector, and they have helped to build our country. I know they are watching this very passionately, as are some people in Parliament who are still overlooking this at this late hour.
I have pulled a few things together tonight to provide some of the background for people who might just be joining in.
The demonstrations are the biggest that the country has seen since the Orange Revolution, which toppled the government nine years ago.
When we look at the motion we are discussing today, I can say what the NDP motion would have been. It would have said:
That the House condemn the killing and injuring of peaceful protestors and other alarming violations of freedom of speech and association in Ukraine, and request that the Government of Canada take strong action in consultation with international partners, including individual sanctions against those responsible for human rights abuses, repressive measures, and violent crackdowns.
The important piece has the words “take strong action in consultation with international partners”.
Through discussion, it was decided that the motion would come from the government side. The motion that came forward said:
That this House:
Condemns the draconian law that was adopted in Ukraine on January 17, 2014 that severely limits the rights of Ukrainians to peacefully organize, assemble or protest;
Recognizes that such a law undermines freedom and democracy in Ukraine;
Condemns the Ukrainian government's use of violence and threats of legal action against the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church for helping peaceful protestors;
Expresses condolences to the friends and families of those who lost their lives at the hands of Ukrainian security forces on January 21, 2014;
Calls upon the Ukrainian government to bring those responsible for these acts of violence and repression to justice;
Continues to call for Ukrainian security forces and government to refrain from the use of violence and respect the people of Ukraine's right to peacefully protest;
Urges the Government of Canada, in collaboration with like-minded nations, to consider all options, including sanctions, to ensure that the democratic space in Ukraine is protected;
And that this House stands united with the Ukrainian people who believe in freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The difference is that we had in our language “to take strong action” and this says “consider all options”. I am glad we can consider all options, but we also have to consider a little more and decisively decide on taking strong action if things are not resolved.
New Democrats, and I believe this whole House, stand with the people of Ukraine. We are deeply concerned by the government's use of force against peaceful protesters, and we remain hopeful that tomorrow's Ukrainian parliamentary session will see concrete solutions being put into place. We know that the EU diplomat Catherine Ashton has a planned visit to Ukraine, within 48 hours she has said, which would have her arrive there tomorrow. We hope that Mr. Yanukovych and the opposition leaders who will be meeting with her will be able to come to a peaceful solution on this.
It is noted that there have been four activists who have died in incidents connected to the protest in recent days as well.
Looking at an article from Antonia Mortensen, I think she sums up an understanding of what is really happening here:
Ukraine is the biggest frontier nation separating Russia and the EU. Once part of the Soviet Union, the country gained its modern independence in 1991 following the fall of the Berlin Wall.
I think a lot of us do recognize and have heard about the Berlin Wall. That was in my younger days, but I still remember that. I still remember the importance of that and how Canadians were actually glued to their televisions learning about this.
Mortensen continues:
Since then, Ukraine has made an effort to move toward Western ideals when it comes to politics and human rights, but the nation is still ranked 144 out of 177 countries in Transparency International's corruptions index.
That is something to be mindful of. Mortensen then adds:
The Ukrainians who have taken to the streets in recent weeks say they want to see a better-governed, less corrupt and politically liberal country, more closely aligned with its western neighbours.
That is what we all hope for in a democracy, that we can actually have less corruption, that we can have accountability and transparency.
She continues by quoting someone else's piece on Ukraine:
People see a prosperous, well-governed EU next to their borders--in sharp contrast with their own economic and political misery. That's why they are on the streets now, in Kiev and elsewhere.
She notes:
Under Soviet rule, many Ukrainian farmers lost their lands and homes, and many ethnic Russians settled in the Ukraine. Under Soviet Rule the country's people their language and culture all suffered.
We can understand that, because we know what happened here in Canada with the first nations, Inuit and Métis people. We understand that there have been many challenges and much loss for these people.
She continues by quoting David Frum:
No nation suffered more from Soviet communism than the Ukrainians. Ukrainian farmers lost their lands and homes to Soviet collectivization....millions died in the man-made famine that followed....their language and culture were stunted under Moscow rule; their intellectuals and writers were suppressed, banished, murdered, and defamed.
We are seeing that even today, where some of the media are actually being suppressed so that there are not two sides to a story but only one side, the government's side. I think that is shameful.
Mortensen then states:
This caused a split which still exists in the Ukraine today, where a strong east-west divide remains, with the East of the nation being mostly Russian-speaking, with a large ethnic Russian population, and the West of the country being Ukrainian.Ukraine's economy has been slow to follow its western neighbours who were also under Soviet control—Poland, for example, where the economy has grown exponentially.Poland was not part of the USSR, but can say “also part of the Soviet Union or under Soviet control—for example, Poland, where the economy has grown exponentially.”By contrast, Ukraine's economy has deteriorated further and has suffered its worst years since the fall of the Soviet Union.Many Ukrainians hope that the EU deal would offer the chance of economic recovery.
This is where we are today. In a blog responding to the comments made, a variety of comments were made. In one of them by someone from the Ukraine, it says:
Quinton, I don’t care less if there would be triumph for any other nation as a result of Ukraine’s moving closer to the EU—this will be primarily a triumph for the Ukrainian people. If it happens (or rather when it happens) this will be an escape from the trap set by the Russian empire for the past four centuries. We do not expect economic assistance from the EU, the Ukrainian people expect that the proximity to the EU will help us to obtain dignity and achieve self-respect, which Russia wanted to destroy for centuries by famine, executions and humiliation of Ukrainians. The Ukrainian people demand the rule of law, less corruption and fair rules of the game in our country.
This is where we are today. It is about democracy. Canada should explore the possibility of international travel bans and asset freezes on those responsible for repressive measures and violent crackdowns.
We certainly hope that the government will act, should it need to act shortly.