Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for that, and good morning to the members of the committee. On the general point of our security dialogue with the Americans, I think the members of the committee are aware that this is both broad and deep, and it covers both continental defence and our shared interest

Foreign Affairs committee  The global disarmament environment is perhaps more polarized at the current time than at any period during my career. Strong views regarding the slow pace of disarmament by the P5 and others who possess nuclear weapons, obviously, have given rise to the current negotiations under

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. The Americans, and all NATO allies, have discussed, in multiple venues, the issue of the ban treaty negotiations, with a view to collaborating, by sharing information and positions. It is a fact that we have had those discussions in New York and Bruss

Foreign Affairs committee  I am.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I hope my camera is working properly. I have had some technical issues, and I apologize for my delay in joining of the meeting. Thank you again, Mr. Chair, and thanks to the members of the committee. The mobilization of Russian military forces

Foreign Affairs committee  From a consular perspective, while the security situation is stable, the risk of armed conflict in Ukraine has increased following Russia's actions. As a result, we changed our travel advice and advisories to recommend that Canadians avoid all travel to Ukraine and leave the coun

Foreign Affairs committee  Yes. Canada will continue to work hand in hand with our allies and partners towards a peaceful solution. I thank you, Mr. Chair.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, I can make a few comments on this, although not on the specifics of the case that has just been cited. What we can say is that NATO solidarity is extremely strong, in fact, ironclad at this moment. All NATO allies have shared their concerns with the situation on the

Foreign Affairs committee  What I would say here is that Canada and other NATO members are part of an extremely broad-based effort, a wider effort, to support Ukraine in many ways. This is a complex crisis and complex crises require many things, military support, yes, but also financial support, political

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, Canada is focused right now, as are our NATO allies, on the dual track of dialogue and deterrence. The situation on Ukraine's borders is grave. The risk of further armed conflict is real. Canada is deeply concerned about Russia's buildup of military forces on Ukraine's

Foreign Affairs committee  Thanks, Major-General. Yes, sanctions are always an important tool in the tool box for responding to and de-escalating crises and promoting respect for norms and values, including human rights. Canada and our allies are currently looking at the crafting of significant economic

Foreign Affairs committee  Magnitsky sanctions and SEMA sanctions have different purposes and different triggers. The Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, known as Magnitsky, allows us to target individuals for human rights abuses. Our Special Economic Measures Act allows us to target not

Foreign Affairs committee  I can build on that a little bit. The buildup last spring was serious, and there was a lot of concerted diplomacy from the G7, NATO and European partners. Following that, Russia did eventually de-escalate tensions and pull back the majority of its troops from Ukraine's borders,

Foreign Affairs committee  I'll just also say that, in addition to demands for legally binding guarantees, which cannot be met by NATO and our allies as they violate our core principles, Russia has also heightened its hybrid aggression, as the major-general has just indicated, its propaganda and its disinf

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, with your permission, I'll just say that Canadian sovereign loans are always subject to negotiation, but I would like to turn to my colleague, Sandra McCardell, the assistant deputy minister for Europe, who has responsibility for this file.