Peter Goldring

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I would like to comment on my colleague's comments about members of Parliament interacting with members of the Ukraine parliament. Perhaps an opportunity will come up so we can do just that. There is the Canada-Ukraine parliamentary group and there is the Ukraine-Canada parliamentary group. There will be an election coming up; that is pretty sure. Perhaps at that time, there will be MPs travelling to Ukraine and many of them will be dispersed throughout the regions. It would an excellent time to interact with members in the various regions of Ukraine or maybe getting meetings together with the Ukraine-Canada parliamentary committee and having some introductory discussions on how we can work together, not only on democracy items but also on linguistic inclusiveness and other aspects of inclusiveness of the various regions of east and west.

Perhaps my colleague could respond to that.

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I would like to mention something to the member for Toronto Centre, but before that, I would like to reply to another comment that was made about the posters that were in Edmonton from the Maidan. I am sorry I missed that, but I got to see the posters first-hand in December in Euromaidan when I was there. I felt it was very important to be there.

What I found when I was there, which was encouraging, was that the protesters and demonstrators were not just Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians but Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Tatars were there as well.

I felt comfortable that yes, this is a terrible time they are going through, but maybe it bodes well for the future and maybe we have a chance in the politics of the future, because in the past there has been a linguistic divide and an east-west divide. I feel there is the possibility of doing that.

When we are working on democratic evolution and improvement, I would like the member to comment on whether she would have some suggestions or ideas on how we can incorporate into that not just working with the political parties but working on linguistic inclusiveness from across Ukraine. As we can see today, there is too much of a divide there, and we must somehow do this. We must visit not just the western part of Ukraine on a regular basis but also the eastern part, the Crimea part, so that somehow we can encourage the constitution to be more inclusive. What would the member suggest we could do toward that end?

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, I would like to know from my colleague, as part of the democratic evolution to bring about stability, whether it necessarily involves linguistic resolve, linguistic stability, and linguistic inclusiveness between the Russian-speaking Ukrainians and Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians? I wonder if he would comment on that and say to the people listening whether that is going to be included in the overall Canadian approach of trying to bring about stability and democratic resolve?

[Ukraine, February 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, twice in 10 years, the people of Ukraine have risen en masse against political tyranny, interference by the Russian Bear and Soviet-style thuggery.

Yanukovych disdained democracy and peaceful protest, employing henchmen whose rubber bullets and truncheons spilled much blood.

Yanukovych, this time, murderously outdid his despotic past. His trained sniper executioners pinpointed the deaths of unarmed patriots resisting efforts to move them from the Euromaidan. The heroes of the Maidan held their ground until sanity returned, with intervention by the European Union and a vote in Parliament to remove the evil tyrant from office.

He is now on the run, hoping to avoid having to atone for his murderous crimes against the citizens of Ukraine. The families of the dead and wounded patriots have the respect and sympathy from people of the free nations of the world.

Slava Ukraini!

[Ukraine, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in December, I had the privilege of addressing an assembly of 500,000 Ukrainians who were protesting the dishonesty and regressive policies of Ukraine's president at Euromaidan in Kiev. To them, I said:

People of Ukraine, you are citizens of a great and independent country with a fantastic future! A future achieved if unfettered by external...influences.

You have many friends around the world who stand together with you. In Ottawa. In Edmonton. And here in Independence Square. We stand with you for what is right, in the face of what is wrong. We support you this day and always, to democratically and peacefully put forth your demands that your true destiny be fulfilled.

We stand with you for freedom in economic and civil trade engagement. Not just with the East. Not just with the West. But with [a] world as truly a nation of the world.

Slava Ukraine! Beware of the marauding bear!

[Birthday Congratulations, December 5th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Canada's newest centenarian, Mr. John Philip Fearnley, born 100 years ago, on the 8th of December 1913, on the family's pioneer homestead farm in Gibbons, Alberta.

Farming was his lifelong interest, which he did into his late eighties. Mr. Fearnley followed politics closely, which is how I met him when I first ran for Parliament in 1997. He was a tireless campaigner, volunteering in every election, including in 2011, when he was 97 years young.

Mr. Fearnley and his wife, Helen, lived in Edmonton's Beverly district. Helen passed on in 2007, shortly after their 61st wedding anniversary.

Gathering together with Mr. Fearnley this Sunday will be his friends and family, which includes three children, seven grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

To my friend Phil Fearnley, from the Parliament of Canada on his 100th, happy birthday, Phil.

[Holodomor Memorial Day, November 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, today we remember the Holodomor, a crime against humanity the world in the past knew little of, hidden behind the Soviet curtain of iron. More than seven million people perished in Ukraine 80 years ago in a forced famine of unimaginable horror. The deep, rich soil of Ukraine, known as the breadbasket of Europe, suffered not the ravages of nature but suffered the savagery of one man: Stalin. While millions of Ukrainians horribly starved to death, the people of the world feasted on Ukraine's bountiful crops, stolen by Stalin's evil regime.

We must speak out to support historical truths of mankind's failings, in Canada and around the world, or revisionist historians, deniers of the Holodomor, will educate the world with their version of the truth.

We remember today the victims of the Holodomor, the dark side of humanity. By remembering, we help the world guard against those who would repeat such genocide.

[Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Delegates, November 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize 34 youthful delegates representing the Canada–Ukraine parliamentary program, who have visited with us for the past seven weeks. They are here in members' offices to gain valuable perspectives of Canada's most important democratic institution, the Parliament of Canada.

Last week, I met with these young people, the future leaders of Ukraine, who embody the highest ideals of achievement and community service. These are young people like Andrii Sorkhan from my office. We had an intriguing discussion on the role of religion in the political life of Ukraine.

Ukraine holds a special place in the hearts of Canadians. There is fully one in 30 Canadians of Ukrainian descent, including my wife, daughters and granddaughters. Canada was the first country in the western world to accord diplomatic recognition, in 1991, to an independent Ukraine.

As the young emissaries depart, we wish them well and say to them, Mnohaya Lita.

[Canadian Museum of History Act, May 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Edmonton East will be voting yes.

[Nuclear Terrorism Act, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I will be voting yes.