Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Kitchener Centre.
I am proud to the rise in the House this evening to speak in support of Operation Unifier, which was announced last week by the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
I rise today on behalf of my constituents in Parkdale—High Park in support of this important mission. The constituents in my riding are engaged, informed, and compassionate people. I take pride in the fact that Parkdale—High Park is home to thousands of Ukrainian Canadians. My constituents understand that Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and military offensive in the Donbass in eastern Ukraine is unacceptable. We as a government understand this as well. That is why the Canadian government is taking action.
Through Operation Unifier, we are providing support to Ukrainian forces through capacity-building and military training. Sharing Canadian knowledge and expertise is crucial to fully supporting Ukraine in its efforts to maintain its sovereignty, its security, and its territorial integrity against unjustified aggression at the hands of invading Russian forces in Crimea and the Donbass. Every single day, the sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers of Ukrainian Canadians are either being wounded or killed. As Ukraine's closest friend and ally, we as Canadians must prepare the Ukrainian people to properly defend themselves and reduce these casualties. That is why Canada is committing to capacity-building and military training through Operation Unifier. Through this operation, we are sending a clear message to Ukrainians here and around the world that we as a government will stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with Ukraine, and will continue to work to promote Ukraine's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. That is a message that is not only for the Ukrainian diaspora in my riding of Parkdale—High Park or around the rest of Canada, it is also a clear message of deterrence to Russian, whose actions have destabilized the region and continue to pose a security threat to our allies in Europe. Make no mistake, Russian aggression presents an existential threat to Ukraine.
Operation Unifier complements other Canadian efforts already under way to combat Russian expansionism. This past July, in 2016, at the Warsaw Summit, NATO members, including Canada, agreed to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and Poland beginning in January of this year under Operation Reassurance. These efforts are meant to deter further Russian aggression like what we have seen in Crimea and the Donbass. Together with our allies, we have stood up and demonstrated leadership in the fight against Russian aggression. The U.K. has deployed in Estonia, Germany in Lithuania, and the United States in Poland, while our Canadian brave men and women in uniform are deploying in Latvia. The nature and magnitude of this concerted NATO response has sent a clear signal to Moscow that we are not simply using rhetoric to counter Russian aggression, we are coupling our words with concrete actions.
Our support of Ukraine is interwoven with the rich Ukrainian heritage in this country. In my role as the parliamentary secretary for multiculturalism, I am keenly aware of the rich contributions that Ukrainians have made to Canada's history and its development. The first members of the Ukrainian diaspora to settle in Ontario and western Canada came to this country 126 years ago. In that period, Ukrainian traditions have become Canadian traditions, such as wearing a vyshyvanka at the Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival in my riding. I was also honoured to have the ability to congratulate the Ukrainian Canadian Congress on the launch of its Canada 150th program entitled youth engaging youth, which is funded by our government. This project will celebrate diversity and promote that shared heritage through youth engagement between, among others, Ukrainian Canadian youth and young people who are indigenous.
Our government has also tabled legislation in support of Canada-Ukraine free trade, an agreement that was signed by both nations in Kiev on July 11, 2016. I spoke in strong support of this agreement in this House because its benefits to our economies are clear. When that trade agreement comes into effect, it will eliminate the duties and tariffs on both sides of the economic ledger.
Canada has always been a close ally and friend to Ukraine. We were the first western nation to recognize Ukraine's independence on December 2, 1991. We will continue to stand with Ukraine as a strong global partner, especially at this critical time when Ukraine needs the support of its allies to combat Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and continued aggression in the Donbass. Canada's Operation Unifier will provide that much-needed support.
To Ukrainian Canadians, I say, “Duže diakuju”, for their contributions to our country. Slava Ukraini.