Arif Virani

[Canada-U.S. Relations, March 28th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, what I would say in response is that we are working on this at all levels, as I have indicated.

We are taking a team Canada approach. In the most recent trade trip by the minister in the fall, she brought with her representatives of the official opposition, as well as the NDP, to participate in that team Canada approach. What we are doing is emphasizing that these tariffs do not just hurt Canadian communities, but they also devastate American communities, because by virtue of the duties placed on Canadian lumber coming in to build American homes, it is escalating the price of homes in the United States. The result of this advocacy has been that recently we have seen 100 different congressional representatives from both sides of the American House petition the Biden administration to reduce these unwarranted tariffs for the benefit of American homeowners.

That is the kind of advocacy we need more of. That is the kind of advocacy we will continue. We will not cease to make this a priority in terms of all of our relations with the American administration.

[Canada-U.S. Relations, March 28th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for raising this important issue in the House.

I just want to emphasize that the federal government is extremely disappointed that the U.S. Department of Commerce continues to apply duties to most exports of Canadian softwood lumber. Those duties are unfair and entirely unwarranted. They harm Canadian communities, of which the member represents in British Columbia, and the workers. They harm Canadian workers and Canadian communities right across the board, particularly the industries in Quebec and British Columbia, but also people who are purchasing homes right around this country.

We understand that the softwood lumber industry is a key component of our highly integrated forest sector, and it is an economic anchor for communities around Canada. We know that Canadian interests in the softwood lumber dispute are best dealt with through a team Canada approach. Let me highlight this. What we are doing is that we are not taking a partisan approach and we are not taking the approach that favours a particular region. We are adopting this as truly a team Canada initiative and have done so continuously through our years in government. We are in close contact with provinces, territories, industry and other partners on how best to respond to the most recent U.S. decisions regarding duties on softwood lumber products.

In January, the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development convened a round table with representatives from across the country to exchange views on Canada's approach to the softwood lumber dispute. One thing that is clear is that we stand by our industry and by the workers, and they can rest assured that Canada is actively contesting these unfair measures.

What are we doing in the face of these unwarranted initiatives by the U.S. Department of Commerce? We have launched legal cases against the various U.S. decisions to date that have imposed duties on Canadian softwood lumber products. Under chapter 19 of NAFTA, Canada is challenging the 2017 U.S. subsidy and dumping determinations. These determinations are also the subject of WTO challenges. We are already seeing the results of those efforts at the WTO.

In August 2020, the panel that adjudicated Canada's challenge of the subsidy determination found the U.S. duties to be inconsistent with the United States international trade obligations. Further, we are contesting, under chapter 10 of CUSMA, the first and second administrative reviews. I will pause parenthetically here. That is the very same provision under CUSMA that the official opposition, when CUSMA was renegotiated, urged us to abandon in order to get a deal done. Were it not for our determination in ensuring that the dispute resolution mechanism was entrenched, we would not have a vehicle for which to advocate for my friend opposite's very constituents and the industry she is purporting to advocate for.

We are a reliable trading partner. In the past, all of these independent tribunals have consistently found that the United States allegations regarding softwood lumber are entirely without basis, meaning Canada has won at every turn. We will continue to litigate, because that is the route that is available to us. We believe that will ultimately be the case in this present dispute.

In parallel, what are we doing? I reject categorically the categorization that was presented by the member opposite that we are somehow abandoning this issue or not making it a priority. To the contrary, we continue to engage on this issue with the U.S. government at every level. The Prime Minister has raised it with President Biden. The Minister of International Trade has raised it with her U.S. counterparts, that is U.S. Trade Representative Tai and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

An agreement is in the best interests of both parties involved, and we will only accept a deal that is beneficial to Canadian industry, Canadian workers and Canadian communities.

[Business of Supply, March 3rd, 2022]

Qujannamiik.

The member raises an important perspective. We have been talking about Arctic sovereignty and the adjacent nature of the Russian threat to Canada. That is specifically vis-à-vis Canada's north and the very community that she represents. With regard to what we are doing with respect to this issue, we are speaking loudly about it. We are taking steps to ensure that the safety and security of Canadians are firm.

With respect to the just transition, I would simply point out to the member that we have already entrenched that into policies we are implementing, specifically a just transition for workers in the coal sector, in particular, as we move Canadians off of coal. They were successfully moved off of coal in my province of Ontario, but we are also powering past coal on an international level. Coal is salient here because it is exactly coal that the Germans are now turning to, which is not an appropriate resolution to the current situation or to the Germans' need for energy.

[Business of Supply, March 3rd, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member for Joliette, and I can assure him that we have already imposed sanctions on over 400 individuals. That is the first thing.

Second, our sanctions are aimed at Putin himself, as well as the people, leaders and politicians around him, but they are also aimed at the oligarchs. It is not true to say that we have not targeted the oligarchs. We have done just that.

I fully agree that the assets of Russian oligarchs must be targeted here in Canada.

We need to do it in a comprehensive way in order to cripple and effectively suffocate the Russian economy.

[Business of Supply, March 3rd, 2022]

Madam Speaker, first of all, orphans are an unfortunate by-product of violent conflict. Absolutely, we need to be extending a hand to any vulnerable Ukrainians, particularly vulnerable children who are orphaned in this conflict.

Vis-à-vis this issue about energy security, it is a pressing issue. There is no doubt about it. We know about Russia's influence on the European continent by virtue of its natural gas resources and the fact that it has created dependency. What I am very keen to do is also embrace where the world is heading, which is toward addressing climate change through greener and more environmentally sustainable solutions.

I know much of continental Europe shares that objective, including Germany. At times, when I was in Katowice, Poland at COP24, I met with German officials who explained to me that their concerns for the environment were equal to, if not greater than, those of Canada. We need to work together on this, but in a way that works toward a cleaner future for Germans, for Canadians and for the entire planet.

[Business of Supply, March 3rd, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Winnipeg North.

Slava Ukraini. Heroyam slava. Those words mean “glory to Ukraine” and “glory to the heroes.”

I start with these words, because never have they been more appropriate. A valiant, courageous stand has been taken by Ukrainian leaders, soldiers and everyday Ukrainian citizens in defending their country. They are refusing to leave and refusing to capitulate to the unlawful, illegal aggressor Vladimir Putin.

We have seen babas, grandmothers, taking up arms, we have seen young men and women doing night patrols in cities around Ukraine, and we have seen average residents learning to make Molotov cocktails, all in defiance of an enemy army that wants to take control over Ukraine's territory and Ukraine's ability to govern itself. That is the scene unfolding in Ukraine day after day. It is a scene that has captured the spirit of democracies and democracy lovers around the planet. Nowhere was this sentiment more defiantly represented than when President Zelenskyy, when offered the chance of an evacuation by American military personnel, said quite famously, “I need ammunition, not a ride”. This is the defiance of a leader who is prepared to stand and fight rather than flee.

I represent thousands of Ukrainian Canadians in this Parliament as the representative of Parkdale—High Park. In better times, we celebrate Ukrainian heritage at things such as the Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival, which takes place every September in my community. Now, my communications with those constituents are very different. They are imploring me to call out Russia and to advocate.

Let me be clear. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. Russia unlawfully and illegally invaded the Donbass in 2014, and it is Russia again, entirely unprovoked, that has commenced this horrific, deadly and illegal war of aggression in a further invasion of Ukraine in the hopes of restoring some lost sense of empire for Vladimir Putin.

With respect to the motion before us, I stand unequivocally to condemn Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation for this further illegal invasion of Ukraine. I unequivocally stand with my constituents, and I believe with all Canadians, in solidarity with Ukraine, with Ukrainian Canadians and with Ukrainians who want to live freely, peacefully and with the ability to make decisions about their nation alone and free from outside influence and interference. This is, in fact, the promise of the UN charter crafted in 1945 that has been broken in these past eight days by Vladimir Putin.

For weeks, I and my colleagues have been advocating for a strong response from Canada to this military buildup and, seven days ago, this second unlawful invasion of Ukraine. Those pleas have been responded to. In these past weeks, Canada has been unequivocal in its denunciation of the invasion of the Donbass and its rejection of the annexation of Crimea. We have been very clear that Russia's second invasion, which commenced a week ago, is illegal, unlawful and must end immediately.

We have trained over 33,000 Ukrainian soldiers through Operation Unifier, which I personally was able to observe at their Independence Day on the Maidan in Kyiv in 2018. We have provided the Ukrainian military with defensive equipment worth as much as $35 million and lethal weaponry worth $7.8 million, which was announced over a week ago. On February 28, 100 anti-armour weapon systems and 2,000 rockets were being delivered. Just today, the Minister of National Defence announced a further supply of lethal weaponry: 4,500 M72 rocket launchers and 7,500 hand grenades. We have expanded Operation Reassurance and have put 3,400 Canadian soldiers on standby for mobilization in the NATO response force. We are also providing cybersecurity support to Ukraine's military.

We are suffocating the Russian economy in concert with our allies. We have imposed massive sanctions: 440 of them on individuals and entities including Putin himself, his security council and the oligarchs who surround him. This is extended to Belarusian leaders who are facilitating this illegal invasion. We have removed several Russian banks from SWIFT, putting them back in the dark ages of financial transactions.

We are, at the same time, working to boost the Ukrainian economy with $620 million in sovereign loans and humanitarian aid that now totals $150 million. In conjunction with this, we have provided a matching donation program that has been very well received by the Ukrainian Canadians I represent and those around the country. It is matching up to $10 million in donations that Canadians are offering themselves.

We are assisting those fleeing Ukraine. We have processed 4,000 applications thus far. What I would say on this point, and this is fundamental, is that all those who are fleeing Ukraine for their own lives and safety must be treated equally. I am very troubled by reports of racism and discrimination against Africans and Indians attempting to flee western Ukraine for Poland.

I applaud foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who announced just yesterday the establishment of an emergency hotline for African, Asian and other students who wish to leave Ukraine. I applaud him for this humanitarian decision that helps ensure international students, regardless of the colour of their skin, do not become the victims of Putin's war.

Just today, as has come up in this debate, we have announced a new immigration stream with Ukraine to eliminate most of the visa requirements, making travel fast and effective, and to provide things such as single-journey travel documents for those who left at such a pace that they did not even have proper documentation.

We are assisting those who are in Canada to stay in Canada. They can work in Canada and remain here. We have prohibited flights in our airspace. We have banned the importation of Russian crude oil. Bell and Rogers have removed Russia Today. These are important steps.

What I also want to add to this debate is the injection of international humanitarian law. I was very pleased to see the head prosecutor of the ICC, Mr. Karim Khan, indicate that he has opened an investigation into the situation in Ukraine to determine if war crimes, crimes against humanity or both are occurring.

We have seen reports of cluster bombs and vacuum bombs that are very troubling. There are reports of civilians being targeted, and of civilian infrastructure being targeted, such as hospitals. On their face, these would seen to trigger article 8.2, subsection b of the Rome Statute that created the ICC, which says that targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure can be considered a war crime under international law. This is why the chief prosecutor stated in his announcement, “I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine”.

Having prosecuted, prior to politics, the Rwandan genocide on behalf of the United Nations, I know that this is critical. It is critical to bring the perpetrators to justice, but it is also critical that we understand that the evidentiary burden is high and it is vital to gather evidence now: not in the weeks, months or years following this conflict. It is critical to amass that evidence to marshal a prosecution. I applaud the ICC prosecutor for taking this step now and not many months from now.

My personal commitment is directly to my constituents, to Ukrainian Canadians and to all Canadians who are horrified by what they are witnessing daily in Ukraine. I commit to working to ensure that our government is assisting in that evidence-gathering exercise that is so critical to marshalling a successful prosecution of the commission of potential war crimes or crimes against humanity.

I further commit to working with our government to close loopholes so that the removal of Russian banks and the Russian economy from the SWIFT interaction system is comprehensive. We do not need Russians evading the SWIFT system or these sanctions via loopholes. I also commit to advocating for a complete economic embargo of Russia by Canada. This is a necessary step and will further suffocate the Russian economy.

Finally, I commit to working to ensure that our military aid is maintained. Today's announcement is the right and proper one, but where Canada does not have the inventory to supply further anti-aircraft or anti-tank weaponry, I commit to working to help procure that on behalf of Ukrainians from other sources, including other nations and the private sector.

I am going to return to where I began. Slava Ukraini. Heroyam slava. Glory to Ukraine in its defence against this illegal aggression, and glory to the heroes who have stood by so valiantly to defend their homeland and defend democracy, literally, for all of us.

[Russia's Attack on Ukraine, February 28th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member opposite for his vigilance on the Ukraine file and for his advocacy on many things we see eye to eye on, particularly this issue.

What I have seen at rallies in my riding and at rallies in the city of Toronto, some of which the member opposite has been at, is that the support for Ukraine is not just from Ukrainian Canadians. It is not just from Canadians generally. It is from people of all demographics and all ethnicities and backgrounds. I have seen Tibetan Canadian constituents of mine gathering forces with Ukrainians, supporting this fight against authoritarianism. I have seen Taiwanese Canadians standing up with Taiwanese flags at these rallies.

I am wondering if the member opposite could comment upon the unifying features we have seen among Canadians in rallying to this cause and what that portends in general for the fight against authoritarianism going forward and how we can rally against that and against the repression Vladimir Putin represents.

[Russia's Attack on Ukraine, February 28th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, I presume the member opposite would share my view that we have all been quite amazed and share admiration for the courage and strength of the Ukrainian people and for the leadership of their president, President Zelenskyy. When offered an exit strategy out of Ukraine, he responded, “I need ammunition, not a ride”. That was his response to the Americans. That was President Zelenskyy.

In response to that kind of plea, what we have seen on the side of the Canadian government is that it provided defensive equipment and lethal armaments of $7.8 million, and just today the minister announced that 100 anti-tank weapons and 2,000 rockets were being provided.

I know the member opposite is a defence critic and very knowledgeable on this file. Can he comment on what that kind of lethal aid provision represents as a precedent for Canada and how it bodes for Canadian future military policy in aid of our allies around the world fighting against bold-faced aggressors engaging in unlawful acts, such as Vladimir Putin?

[Russia's Attack on Ukraine, February 28th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, I know the member for Wellington—Halton Hills is a man who is deeply concerned with foreign policy. What I have remarked upon is the pace at which the international community has moved on this issue, in particular in changing from previously established positions.

I am going to point him to the example of Germany. We have seen, in a matter of very short days or weeks, Germany's rejecting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Germany's moving to actually fund weapons being delivered by its nation to another foreign nation in Europe, and Germany's backing the elimination or removal of Russia from the SWIFT system of economic exchanges.

I want to ask him about his view of the role of Canada in prompting that kind of multilateral co-operation and how we can keep that level of multilateral co-operation with NATO and other allies alive and well, going forward, once we get past this crisis and get Putin out of Ukraine.

[Russia's Attack on Ukraine, February 28th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the interim Leader of the Opposition for the demonstration of unity we have seen in this chamber on such a pressing global issue. I know that in my riding in Toronto, in Manitoba and right around the country, we have seen Canadians of all backgrounds and demographics coming forward, standing up for democracy against Russian aggression and calling out for what we need from this Parliament. We have seen some of that delivered just today, with the additional lethal munitions and lethal armaments to assist Ukraine in defending its sovereignty.

However, Canadians have also talked to people like me, who represent Ukrainian Canadians, and others in this chamber about a distinct type of threat that is emerging: threats to cybersecurity and cyber-threats. I am wondering if the interim Leader of the Opposition could comment on how we combat this pernicious threat in the online world, where cyber-threats are festering. Will her party work with our party in combatting this, including combatting what exists online, and in getting tough with important cyber-threats?