Foreign Affairs committee  That's a very tough question. When it comes to religion in Ukraine there are numerous Orthodox churches, whether that be Ukrainian Autocephalous, Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Patriarchate. Often a lot of property is involved with church control, but what you saw in the Maidan, where there was a large presence of religious leaders, especially during the most violent days, risking their lives to go in between the lines, to go between the protesters and the police, was a unique moment in Ukraine's history for these religious communities to really come together.

Foreign Affairs committee  The more you bring them together and the more opportunities there are for direct communication and dialogue, this is a very positive thing. This is something that the Moscow Patriarchate, under the control of the Kremlin, does not want to see. When it comes to the issue of languages, the language law that was repealed by the new Parliament—the original law that was passed by the Yanukovych government was passed illegally and unconstitutionally.

Foreign Affairs committee  It's a very simple answer. Yes, they are prepared. I think the campaign is picking up at a much slower pace than you would normally see in previous elections because the focus is on the invasion, the possibility of war, and many candidates don't want to be the first one to put their name out there on a billboard advertising for the presidential election when everyone is trying to stay united and present the united front on solving the current crisis.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. Yes, there is talk of parliamentary elections possibly taking place in the fall. There are also local elections that are taking place concurrently with the May 25 presidential election. In six major cities in Ukraine they will be electing new city councils and mayors, for mayors who were deposed by the previous government on spurious charges.

Foreign Affairs committee  The Russian playbook is very short. It's just a few pages. What happened in Crimea worked. I think Moldovans should be very concerned about this scenario replicating itself there, because it has been successful in Crimea up until this point. On the issue of ports, Odessa remains right now the only deepwater port that Ukraine has.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for that question. It's the International Republican Institute's understanding that preparations are being made by the central government to provide polling stations for Crimean residents to vote in Kherson oblast and possibly other locations as well. The question is this.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. Speaking from the perspective of the Ukraine and what we saw on the ground there over the last few months, once those sanctions went into place we saw very quickly former president Yanukovych lose his supporters in the parliament. This allowed the interim government to begin moving legislation very quickly to restore stability to the country.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Gershman, I'll let you take the first shot.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for the question. Regarding engaging early and having monitors on the ground, absolutely, Canada has traditionally always had very large election delegations, especially to Ukraine's most recent elections. But in addition to just providing additional monitors on the ground for long-term observation, it sends a signal to our Ukrainian friends that we're here with them, we're working together, we're working with local civil society organizations, and there is a visible presence for international partners together with Ukrainians during this election period.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am honoured to appear before the committee today on behalf of the International Republican Institute, IRI. We thank the committee for its kind invitation to offer our thoughts regarding the situation in Ukraine and to share with you some insights on the activities of IRI.