Mr. Speaker, just five years ago, Ukraine was the breadbasket of Europe. Its fertile, rich and plentiful lands provided good soil that was perfect for growing crops. Large fields of sunflowers covered the landscape, their faces turned towards the sun. Barely five years ago, Ukraine was an almost peaceful European country. It is true that there were serious conflicts in Crimea. It is true that there was unrest in the Donbas region. However, Ukraine was not facing a death threat. The crisis was not existential. Then, war came four years ago.
War came, and in its wake came horrors, suffering and tears. Thousands of women have been killed. Why? Hundreds of women have been raped. It is a tactic of war used by the occupiers to sow terror among Ukrainians. Hundreds of children have been killed. Why? Thousands of children have been forcibly deported to Russia, torn from their families. War had come.
There have been roughly two million casualties, deaths and injuries among soldiers on both sides. More than 15,000 civilians have been killed. Why? Nearly 10 million people have had to flee their homes and abandon their pre-war lives in the hope of having a life after the war. Why? What is the point of all this? Can any meaning be found in the deaths of all these women, all these children, all these people? What meaning can be found in the deadly drone strikes in Kyiv and the armoured vehicles rolling through Ukraine's wheat fields? What twisted ambition can justify this endless daily tragedy? Can anyone offer a satisfactory answer to this simple question: Why?
The war in Ukraine has dragged on for four years. If enough pressure is put on Russia, there may be a way out. However, when our hopes for peace lie in the hands of Putin and Donald Trump, is there really any reason to hope? Well, the answer is in the words of Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka, who wrote:
...through all my tears I still shall laugh,
Sing songs despite my troubles;
Have hope despite all odds,
I want to live! Away, you sorrowful thoughts!
Let us hope. Let us stand with the people of Ukraine and choose hope. Let us choose to believe that this war will end, that Russia will come to its senses and that this deadly stubbornness will eventually run out of steam. Let us choose to believe that Ukrainians will use their courage to rebuild their homes and that they will no longer be forced to pick up arms and bury their loved ones. Let us choose to believe that there is a way out and that this sad and absurd war will eventually come to an end.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I say to all Ukrainians that we are behind them all the way. One day, peace will come. We must have hope, even in despair.