The Ukrainian Canadian Congress wants Canada to up the pressure on Vladimir Putin’s regime and lead a global charge to get Russia expelled from the G20.
Congress president Alexandra Chyczij has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to take steps to expel Russia from the forum of leading world economies.
Chyczij said Russia is using the G20 as a platform to lie about its reasons for invading Ukraine.
The congress is concerned that if Putin is allowed to attend the G20 heads of state and government meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in November it would send the wrong message and undermine the G20’s credibility.
It would also make it difficult for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the summit as a guest.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly will attend the G20 meeting of foreign ministers in Indonesia this week, even though her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov is also expected to attend.
Joly told The Canadian Press that she would not shake Lavrov’s hand and plans to use the opportunity to call out Russian lies about the invasion.
In March, Joly joined others in walking out of a United Nations meeting in Geneva when Lavrov, whom Canada had brought sanctions against days earlier, began speaking.
In her letter, Chyczij pointed out that the Canadian Parliament has declared that Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine.
Because of this, and the government’s policy of isolating the Russian Federation from the international community, the congress said Canada should lead the process of expelling Russia from the G20.
In 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he wanted leaders to expel Russia from the G8 group of industrialized nations after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. After Russia’s membership was suspended indefinitely, the remaining nations became known as the G7.
Chyczij said Canada should “demonstrate the same bold leadership in calling for the removal of Russia from the G20.”
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Joly and other ministers have refused to share the floor when Russia speaks at summits.
In March, Joly joined others in walking out of a United Nations meeting in Geneva when Lavrov, whom Canada had brought sanctions against days earlier, began speaking.
In April, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland joined a walkout of a G20 meeting for finance ministers and central bank governors in Washington in protest over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In May, International Trade Minister Mary Ng joined her counterparts from the United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand in leaving an APEC meeting in Bangkok when the Russian representative began to speak.
In an interview after the walkout, Ng said it would not be a “one-off” and she would be prepared to do it again.
Last week, Trudeau said Canada would take part in the G20 leaders’ meeting in November even if Putin goes, too, arguing it is important to counteract the voice Russia will have at that table.
Canada’s attendance alongside Russia in Indonesia creates a diplomatic predicament at the G20, including at this week’s summit for foreign ministers in Bali.
Joly recently said it was unacceptable for a Canadian official to attend a reception hosted by the Russian Embassy in Ottawa.
And Russian’s foreign minister has been one of the most vocal proponents of the invasion and Putin’s justifications.
Orest Zakydalsky, senior policy adviser for the congress, urged Joly and other foreign ministers to walk out of the G20 if Lavrov speaks.
“There is nothing to be gained from sitting and listening to a liar trying to justify Putin’s war,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2022.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
