Mr. Chair, I would be glad to do so, but first I want to thank the member for all his efforts in this particular area. He has continually taken an interest and has been very supportive of all our actions in this area. Indeed, he has shown leadership on that. I want to publicly thank him for that.
The member asked me to comment on the ceasefire between Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels. We are having a look obviously very closely at what has happened since the February 12 Minsk agreement. We have been very clear that we will judge Russia on its actions, quite apart from any agreements it says it is supporting, and we are prepared to take further action against Russia should it fail to implement this agreement.
We remain committed to supporting Ukraine to be a democratic, stable and prosperous country. Canada has a great record on this. I was a member of Parliament in the early 1980s when Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was the first world leader to step forward and recognize the independence and freedom of Ukraine. I remember how proud I was to be a member of that government.
What we are doing here is certainly consistent with the actions we have taken as a government and the actions of the government of Brian Mulroney. I am very proud we are doing this and making very clear to Russia that it has to live up to these agreements because our position and I believe the position of many of our allies is going to be continuously with Ukraine, because we believe ultimately in Ukraine's prosperity, freedom and security.