Some MPs worried about waning enthusiasm among their constituents for supporting Ukraine’s defence say they hope President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit changes some hearts and minds.
“It’s important that we continue to stay unified as Canadians … and advocate for the aid necessary to ensure Ukraine wins the war,” said Toronto-area Liberal MP Yvan Baker, chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Baker’s mother and grandparents immigrated from Ukraine to Canada after the Second World War and many of his constituents in his riding of Etobicoke-Centre are of Ukrainian descent.
Toronto-area Liberal MP Yvan Baker, chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group, said Canada must do everything it can to ensure Ukraine’s victory. (Olivia Stefanovich/CBC)
But despite the appearance of widespread Canadian public support on the surface, Baker and several other MPs have told CBC News they fear that war fatigue is beginning to take hold in their ridings as headlines about the war are trumped by pocketbook issues.
Baker said he doesn’t want to see support drop to the level it has in the U.S., where some Republicans are openly opposing ongoing materiel and financial support for the Ukrainian war effort. He said that prospect makes Zelenskyy’s two-day visit to Canada especially important.
“If we recognize that this is a fight for not just Ukraine’s sovereignty, but the international rules-based order … it is obvious that we should be doing everything possible to support Ukrainians until they decisively win the war,” Baker said.
Zelenskyy thanks Canada, says Ukraine must prevail against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Canada for its support in an address to parliamentarians Friday, saying justice must prevail and the war with Russia ‘must end’ with his country’s victory.
On Friday, during his first visit to Canada since Russia launched its all-out invasion, Zelenskyy delivered an impassioned speech to Parliament urging Canada and other Western allies to maintain their support until Russia is defeated.
Canadians currently questioning Ottawa’s financial and military aid to Ukraine should watch Zelenskyy’s address to Parliament, said Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
“Just watch the sacrifice of these people,” said Champagne, who represents the riding of Saint-Maurice—Champlain in Quebec.
“They’re paying with their lives for democracy, for all of us. So if there’s any people still doubting, just watch the speech.”
Conservative Sen. Denise Batters of Saskatchewan listened to Zelenskyy speak in the House of Commons while wearing a vyshyvanka, a traditional Ukrainian blouse embroidered by her grandmother just before she sailed to Canada from Ukraine a century ago.
“It was quite the momentous day, a lifetime memory,” said Batters, who said she got the chance to speak to Zelenskyy about her Ukrainian heritage and the history of her blouse.
“I’m hearing very positive things from Canadians across the country, that they want to help Ukraine.”
‘The minimum we can do’
Following Zelenskyy’s address, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $650 million in new military aid over three years to allow Ukraine to acquire 50 armoured vehicles, including vehicles for medical evacuation that will be built in London, Ont.
The federal government also announced new sanctions against 63 Russian individuals and entities that Trudeau said were complicit in kidnapping Ukrainian children and spreading disinformation and propaganda.
Friday’s announcement brings Canada’s total committed support to Ukraine since 2022 to more than $9.5 billion, said the Prime Minister’s Office.
Conservative MP Tom Kmiec says he’s spoken to constituents about why he thinks Canada must support Ukraine’s defence. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Tom Kmiec, Conservative MP for Calgary Shepard, said he’s heard concerns from some constituents about the level of ongoing Ukrainian aid.
“I do hear it and then we sit down and then we have a good conversation, [a] good explanation that this is an unprovoked attack on a sovereign nation,” Kmiec said.
“We have to keep supporting them. It’s the minimum we can do.”
WATCH | Zelenskyy meets with the Governor General:
‘Don’t give up’: Zelenskyy describes his meeting with Governor General
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that during his meeting with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, she taught him an Inuktitut word – ajuinata – that means ‘Don’t give up,’
Ron McKinnon, Liberal MP for Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, said he’s also heard occasional gripes but believes most voters support the cause.
“It is an incredibly important fight,” he said.
Mike Kelloway, Liberal MP for Cape Breton—Canso, said he believes Ukraine is one issue that should unite Canadians.
“If you think the war in Ukraine doesn’t impact us, look at inflation,” he said. “If something happens in one part of the world, if we ignore it, we do it at our own peril.”
Yaroslav Baran, co-founder of Cafe Ukraine, a resource centre in Ottawa for Ukrainian refugees, said he does worry about Ukraine fatigue sinking in.
“That’s what keeps me up,” said Baran, who watched Zelenskyy’s address to Parliament.
“The longer any war goes on, the more it slips off the headlines … You’ve got to fight to maintain attention and, by extension, political support.”
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.
