Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Mr. President, as has been noted today, you join a very small group of world leaders who have addressed a joint session of our Parliament for a second time. Among those leaders, one stands out for his oratory, his leadership in the face adversity, and his strong determination to fight on behalf of his people and on behalf of what is right. That leader was the late African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela.
In his first address to the joint session of our Parliament, Nelson Mandela said of the Canadian people, “They are to us like brothers and sisters from whose warm embrace we shall never be parted.” Mr. President, I want you to know that we feel like that still with Ukraine.
I am sure you share the same sentiment after your visit today, Mr. President. It is more than just a metaphor. The ties between Canada and Ukraine are family ties, ties between our two peoples strengthened by the Ukrainian-Canadian community, which is 1.3 million people strong.
Your words today also remind us of another world leader who addressed both our Houses during a time of war. On December 1941, during World War II, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill travelled to Ottawa and delivered an impassioned speech on behalf of his people to rally for the continued support for his country at war. It was a defining moment of history, and one that must never be forgotten.
We have here in the chamber today a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians and continues to support the troops today even at his age of 98. His name is Yaroslav Hunka. I am very proud to say that he is from North Bay and from my riding of Nipissing—Timiskaming. He is a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero, and we thank him for all his service. Thank you.
As freedom is being attacked in many countries around the world and autocrats are banding together, Ukraine's resistance is rallying democracies and pushing us to action.
Resistance often starts at the top with you, Mr. President, but also with the Verkhovna Rada, where the business of parliament, the people's business, has never stopped. I know that parliamentarians in this chamber have marvelled at the courage and determination of our counterparts. Ukrainian legislators have pursued their critical work despite the continued warning of missiles and drones, despite the threat to the well-being of their families and homes and despite the overwhelming challenges of recovery and rebuilding.
Throughout this terrible war, I have had the great privilege of developing a great friendship with my counterpart, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Chairman Stefanchuk. Like you, Mr. President, he advocates for his country with passion and with poise, and like you, he has conveyed what is at stake: Ukraine's freedom, but also the preservation of the rules-based international order, which is a fundamental part of the future of the democratic world.
Most recently, he spoke at the G7 Speakers' summit in Japan. At that time, he shared with me a drawing from a young Ukrainian girl who thanked Canada for our support and our shared wish that all Ukrainian children should live under peaceful skies. It moved me to tears and it moves me there again.
It is moments like these and ties like those that remind us that we must stand with Ukraine to face the threat against its sovereignty.
Mr. President, Canada has stood with Ukrainian people throughout their proud history, and that will not change. We will continue to stand for justice and peaceful skies over Ukraine. Thank you once again for addressing our Parliament.
Slava Ukraini.
[Applause]