(Clause 1 agreed to)
House of Commons Hansard #70 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was mou.
House of Commons Hansard #70 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was mou.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Opposition Motion—Pipeline Construction Members debate a Conservative motion supporting a new oil pipeline from Alberta to the British Columbia coast for export to Asian markets, alongside an adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. Conservatives urge the Liberal government to unblock investment and expedite construction. Liberals support the full Canada-Alberta MOU, which includes environmental and Indigenous consultation conditions. The Bloc Québécois and NDP oppose, citing economic non-viability, climate betrayal, and lack of Indigenous consent. 47800 words, 6 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Supplementary Estimates (B), 2025-26 First reading of Bill C-17. The bill grants sums of money to His Majesty for federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, and is passed through all stages of the House. 100 words.
Ukrainian Heritage Month Act Second reading of Bill S-210. The bill proposes to designate September as Ukrainian Heritage Month in Canada to recognize the contributions of Ukrainian Canadians to the country's economic, political, cultural, and social life. Members from various parties support the bill, emphasizing the importance of celebrating Ukrainian heritage, especially given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and to educate Canadians about Ukrainian culture and history. 7800 words, 1 hour.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
On division.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
On division.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
On division.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
On division.
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
An hon. member
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that it be carried on division.
Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton—Chinguacousy Park, ON
moved that Bill C-17, An Act for granting to His Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, be read the third time and passed.
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
An hon. member
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that it be carried on division.
Bill S-210 Ukrainian Heritage Month ActPrivate Members' Business
December 9th, 2025 / 6:10 p.m.
Liberal
Yvan Baker Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON
moved that Bill S-210, An Act respecting Ukrainian Heritage Month, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today in the House to speak to Bill S-210, an act respecting Ukrainian heritage month. The legislation, if passed in the House, would designate the month of September as Ukrainian heritage month in Canada.
The first Ukrainian immigrants to Canada arrived on September 7, 1891. Since then, generation upon generation of Ukrainians have come to Canada, many of them fleeing oppression and seeking a better life. Ukrainian Canadians have helped to make Canada the great country that it is today, and their contributions span our economic, political, cultural and social life. That is why, for example, in 2011, the Ontario legislature passed a law, unanimously supported by all parties, to declare September 7 as Ukrainian Heritage Day.
When I was president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress's Ontario Provincial Council at the time, I was proud to be one of the people who wrote the bill and helped to get it passed. That is why I am so proud, as their member of Parliament, to have introduced my own bill in the House of Commons in the last three Parliaments to designate the month of September, every year, as Ukrainian heritage month.
I would like to thank the member of the other place who introduced the bill and the many members who co-sponsored the bill with me. I hope that members on all sides of the House will support this legislation.
Watching the debate at home right now are members and leaders of the Ukrainian Canadian community. Some of them are immigrants to Canada from Ukraine. Some of them are the children and grandchildren of immigrants to Canada from Ukraine. My mother and my grandparents were immigrants to Canada from Ukraine. My grandparents, Ivan and Olena, came to Canada fleeing oppression and seeking a better life, like so many people who have immigrated to Canada from Ukraine over the past almost 135 years.
My grandparents were incredibly proud of their Ukrainian heritage, but they were also incredibly proud to be Canadian. In fact, I have said many times, and many here have heard me say this before, that my grandparents were among the proudest Canadians I have ever known.
To ensure that I learned about my Ukrainian heritage, my parents and my grandparents insisted that I attend Saturday school. This was not unique to me. This is common to members of the Ukrainian Canadian community. After Saturday school, every Saturday, my grandfather used to pick me up. We used to have lunch together, and then he would help me with my Saturday school homework for the following week. During classes and as I did this homework, I learned the Ukrainian language, culture, history, traditions, etc.
I have to tell the House and I have to admit that when I was a teenager and when I was a kid, I was not so fond of Saturday school. I really did not enjoy doing homework on Saturday afternoons either. There was one day in particular when I was very frustrated. I was struggling with whatever it was that I was working on with my grandfather. I called him Dido. I said, “Dido, I do not want to do this anymore. I want to stop.”
He said to me, “You cannot stop. Let me tell you why. I am incredibly proud of my heritage and my homeland, and I think that as you learn more, you will be too.” Then, he also said, “I want you to learn about the history of the Ukrainian people, because so many of them came here to Canada. They came before you did, they came before I did, and they helped to make this country great. I want you to learn about the people who made Canada great.”
Since 1891, Canadians of Ukrainian descent have left a historic mark on our country. Their contributions span communities from coast to coast to coast, in all the ridings represented here today. They have impacted our economic, political, cultural and social life. The significance of the bill goes beyond just cultural recognition. It is not merely a symbolic gesture that we are undertaking here today. It is a national acknowledgement of people whose contributions have shaped Canada for almost 135 years. Since 1891, Ukrainian Canadians have played an important role in making Canada the great country that it is today, and through the bill, Parliament, among other things, is recognizing these important contributions.
Since 1891, Ukrainians have been coming to Canada seeking a better life, and since 1891, Canada has supported them. That is why Canada was the first country in the western world to recognize Ukraine's independence in 1991. That is why Canada was among the first countries in the world to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide. That is why our government has been a global leader in supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia's brutal invasion. We are relentless in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Through the bill, Parliament is also recognizing those contributions, the steps that Canada has taken to support the Ukrainian Canadian community and the people of Ukraine. There has never been a more important time to adopt the bill than today.
I told a story about my grandfather helping me with my Saturday school homework. Now I want to tell members a story about my grandfather from 1991, when Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union. I was with my Dido Ivan that day, and we were watching the news coverage of what was happening in Ukraine.
For context, my grandfather was born in Ukraine and grew up in Ukraine under Soviet occupation. On many occasions, like many of the people who are watching at home, families risked their lives to achieve a free and independent Ukraine, just as the people of Ukraine are doing as we speak.
In 1991, we were sitting in his home in Toronto in Bloor West Village. We were watching the news, watching Ukraine declare its independence, which may have been one of the most proud days of his life. At one point in our conversation, my grandfather said now that Ukraine was independent, we had to continue the fight for Ukraine's independence. I think I was 13 or 14 years old at the time, and I said, “Dido, what are you talking about? It is over. This is done. The Ukrainian people want independence. The world has recognized it. It is done." I said, “Dido, you are wrong.” Of course, I was wrong.
In 2008, Russia invaded Georgia and the world got it wrong. In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine, first in eastern Ukraine and then Crimea, and the world got it wrong. We cannot afford to get this wrong again.
Canada has been a global leader in supporting Ukraine since 2022. I believe that there are two key reasons we need to support Ukraine. The first reason is that it is the right thing to do. It is the moral thing to do. Ukrainian people are bravely fighting back to defend themselves against a brutal invasion and war crimes that are occurring daily, and we see that in the news every day. The other reason is that supporting Ukraine is the right thing for Canada, because Ukraine's victory is vital to Canada's security. If Russia wins, it is not going to stop at Ukraine. We know this because Vladimir Putin has told us so over and over again.
Just recently, Vladimir Putin sent Russian drones over European military bases, NATO military bases. In the past, Putin has claimed parts of the Canadian Arctic as Russian territory. European military and political leaders, elected leaders in western Europe, are publicly saying that Europe has to be ready for a full-blown land war with Russia in the coming years.
Russia's invasion is not just about Ukraine. Ukraine is just the first step in Russia's expansionist ambitions. If Russia succeeds in Ukraine, it is not going to stop there. Canadians, Americans and Europeans will be next. We will be defending ourselves against Russian aggression, whether that is with our NATO partners in Europe, in the Canadian Arctic or somewhere else in the world. We either pay a smaller price now to help Ukraine win, or we pay a much larger price later, in Canadian dollars and in Canadian lives. That is why we must stand with the Ukrainian people now until they win.
As I said, the government has been a global leader in supporting Ukraine. Since 2022, Canada has committed over $22 billion in support for Ukraine. I want to highlight some of the types of aid that Canada has provided. Canada has provided $6.5 billion in military assistance alone. This includes a range of things, including air defence missiles, howitzers, Leopard 2 tanks, drones, armoured vehicles and other critical equipment. Canada's military training mission, Operation Unifier, has trained over 44,000 Ukrainian soldiers and over 300 Canadian Armed Forces members remain deployed on this mission. Canada has also committed $389 million to train Ukrainian fighter pilots for the F-16 jets that have been contributed by allies, and more than $140 million to support Ukraine's domestic drone production. That is military aid alone.
On the financial side, Canada has provided over $12.6 billion in direct financial assistance. Canada is the largest contributor of financial support to Ukraine, direct or multilateral, per capita in the world. This includes almost $7 billion in loans through the IMF, $500 million in direct bilateral loans and an over $5-billion contribution to the G7's new extraordinary revenue acceleration loans for Ukraine. Canada has also played a leadership role in strengthening Ukraine's economy and long-term resilience, including the modernization and parliamentary ratification here in this Parliament of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, which many members here voted in support of.
Since 2022, Canada has sanctioned nearly 2,300 people and more than 1,000 entities in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. In total, almost 4,900 individuals and entities are currently sanctioned under Canada's autonomous sanction laws. Ukraine is fighting on the front lines of the global struggle between democracy and tyranny. Its struggle is our struggle. That is why we must support the Ukrainian people until we win. That is why Canada is a global leader in supporting Ukraine.
Coming back to the legislation before us, this bill honours the past, strengthens the present and inspires the future. Ukrainian heritage month will offer a special opportunity for us to celebrate Ukrainian heritage, the role that Canada has played in supporting Ukrainian Canadians and the contributions that Ukrainian Canadians have made to Canada. This is not just a symbolic gesture. It is a concrete, enduring recognition of a community that has shaped this country and continues to do so every day, in every riding represented here by members of the House of Commons.
For me, as I mentioned earlier, as a descendant of Ukrainian immigrants and Ukrainian Canadians, this legislation has a personal element, but it is profoundly national. By passing Bill S-210, Parliament will be affirming that Ukrainian Canadians are integral to Canada, that their heritage deserves celebration and that Canada stands with the Ukrainian people, not only in wartime but all the time.
I urge all members of the House to support Bill S-210 and to join me in designating each September as Ukrainian heritage month in Canada.
I want to finish with some words from Ukraine's most prolific poet, Taras Shevchenko, who once famously said the following.
[Member spoke in Ukrainian]
[English]
Translated, this means “teach, read and learn from others but always be proud of that which is your own”.
Today, I feel what my grandparents would feel, what a lot of the people watching at home feel, what their parents and their grandparents would feel and what generations of Ukrainian Canadians who have come to Canada for almost 135 years would feel if they were here today, proud of the contributions that Ukrainian Canadians have made to Canada since 1891, proud of their Ukrainian heritage and proud to be Canadian.
Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am a strong supporter of Ukraine, and I find great irony in the member opposite's speech.
On the very day that he speaks to this motion, he stood up and voted against getting Canadian oil and gas to world markets. That requires our allies to buy Russian oil and gas, directly funding their war effort in Ukraine and leading to more death and destruction. Instead, the member should be focusing on what the government is not doing, as it turns a blind eye to sanctions, evasions and transshipment through which Canadian arms and technology are ending up in Russian hands.
Will the member stand up and explain why he voted against getting our oil and gas to world markets and supporting our allies in Ukraine?
Yvan Baker Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, what I would say to the member opposite is that today we are debating Ukrainian heritage month, the contributions of Ukrainian Canadians to Canada, what Canada has done to support Ukrainian Canadians and Ukrainian people, and how important it is to pass this bill, at this very time, in a non-partisan fashion, as was done in the other place.
I will just say, let us all come together and support Ukrainian heritage month. People in the Ukrainian Canadian community are watching. Canadians are watching. They would want us to come together on this.
Martin Champoux Bloc Drummond, QC
Mr. Speaker, I feel compelled to comment on the remark just made by the Conservative member. I understand that he is new to the House. He will have opportunities to experience other moments like the one before us this evening, with a bill intended to establish a heritage month. Other heritage months have been instituted in the past. More will be proposed and debated in the future. Usually, this is a time when members from all the parties come together in a relatively collegial way, while at other times, they join in criticizing the government's poor decisions.
This evening, I want to echo my colleague from Etobicoke Centre in recognizing the importance of the Ukrainian heritage month proposed in Bill S-210. I have worked with this member on the Canada-Ukraine Friendship Group for a number of years, and after the barbaric Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, we saw the full extent of the damage. If this Ukrainian heritage month is introduced, it will definitely teach all Quebeckers and Canadians more about the history of the Ukrainian nation. I would like to ask my colleague to explain why learning more about Ukraine than we have seen on the news since 2022 is important.