Justin Trudeau

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we apologized today on behalf of all parliamentarians. For the past few days, we have been saying how sorry we are about the mistake made by the Speaker of the House of Commons.

We will keep working not only to defend Ukraine but also to support the Jewish community, which has been facing a global rise in anti-Semitism for the past several years. We will always be there to defend the principles of the rule of law and openness toward others, and we will always fight alongside Ukrainians in order to do so.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, for days now, we have been apologizing to President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people through diplomatic channels, and we continue to work hand in hand with the Ukrainian government to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine from this barbaric Russian invasion, from this violation of international law. We continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine. That is the message I communicate regularly to President Zelenskyy when I talk to him.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we all recognize that the former speaker of the House made a serious mistake.

As we consider the election of the next Speaker of the House, we will want to determine how we can ensure that mistakes like this never happen again. The government will always be there to work with opposition parties or the Speaker to check the background of anyone who comes to the House, but it should not be a government violating the fundamental rights of parliamentarians.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, Conservative members are well aware that the independence of the Speaker of the House of Commons is critically important in our parliamentary system.

The government of the day has no veto power or control over the guests chosen by other parties or even by the Speaker of the House.

It is extremely important that we continue to unequivocally stand on the side of Ukraine and the international rule of law. We will always stand with the people of Ukraine and against Russia.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that all parliamentarians agreed unanimously yesterday that the tribute to this individual would be withdrawn. That is what happened yesterday. We do not want that to stand in the future.

However, we also know that we need to continue to stand every day with the people of Ukraine as they fight against this illegal invasion by Vladimir Putin and as they stand for rule-based order and the principles of the UN Charter, which protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of us all. This government and this country will always stand unequivocally with Ukraine.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, it was incredibly upsetting that this happened. The outgoing Speaker took responsibility and resigned, which was the right thing to do.

We recognize the deep pain this caused for Jewish communities and for all who were victims of Nazi atrocities, as well as their descendants. It was an embarrassment for Parliament and Canadians. It reaffirms the need to keep promoting and investing in Holocaust education, something our government has continued to support and always will.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, Canadians and the world are watching very carefully what has happened this week and the terrible error that happened on Friday.

However, they are also interested in seeing who is trying to make partisan hay out of this, who is trying to look for gains out of what was obviously a terrible mistake.

It is important that we learn from this, that we stand even stronger with Ukraine going forward and that we counter Russian propaganda.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the principle of independence of Parliament from the government of the day is well established. The government is always there to work with opposition parties or the Speaker if they have concerns or questions about any of the guests they choose to invite into this august chamber.

We will continue to stand unequivocally with Ukraine, but we will also, at the same time, defend the rights and privileges of parliamentarians.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, this has been deeply embarrassing for all parliamentarians and for Canada. The important thing is to continue to remain firmly on the side of Ukraine, to fight against Russian propaganda and arrogance. To date, we have invested nearly $9.5 billion in humanitarian, military, diplomatic and economic aid for Ukraine. We will continue to be there to support Ukraine with whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, as I pointed out, this was deeply embarrassing not just to all parliamentarians but to Canada as well.

We stand firmly with Ukraine. We will continue to stand against Russian aggression and Russian propaganda. We will continue to ensure, with the military aid, humanitarian aid, financial aid and diplomatic aid we are engaged with around the world, that we will continue and, indeed, step up efforts to counter Russian propaganda. We will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, with whatever it takes.