Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Kyiv today to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The visit — his third to the country since the eruption of major hostilities — comes as western support for the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wavers and billions of dollars in military and economic aid is being held up in the U.S. Congress.
“Despite Russia’s unrelenting attacks, Ukraine continues to demonstrate unwavering courage,” Trudeau said in a media statement released prior to the visit. “Ukrainians are fighting for their communities, their land, their identity and their heritage.
“But they are also fighting for our collective future. They are fighting to remind the world that democracy is both important enough to die for and strong enough to win.”
His remarks come just a week after Ukrainian troops were forced to withdraw from the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, which they fought to hold for months. Ukraine’s forces reportedly inflicted thousands of casualties on Russia troops.
It also comes as Zelenskyy’s government tries to pass a revised bill to expand mobilization in Ukraine.
A senior Pentagon official recently estimated that Russia has taken as many as 310,000 casualties — both killed and wounded — since the full-scale invasion began.
Ukraine hasn’t published its military casualty figures but informal estimates put its losses in the tens of thousands. Relief organizations estimate more than 30,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian lawmakers passed through first reading a revised mobilization bill after the initial draft of the bill saw significant political and social pushback.
The country’s parliament has tentatively backed the revised draft of the bill.
The legislation would lower the age of military service and make it harder to avoid the draft as Kyiv struggles to find enough soldiers to maintain its defences.
Ukrainian soldier Pavlo ‘Zhulik’ Sazonov, right, says good-bye to his comrade Andrii ‘Adam’ Grinchenko of the 3rd Assault Brigade during a funeral ceremony at the cemetery in Shostka, Sumy region, Ukraine on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. (Roman Hrytsyna/Associated Press)
In its current form, the legislation would lower the age at which people can be mobilized for combat duty by two years to 25. Tighter sanctions for draft evasion, including asset freezes, are also included.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada Yuliya Kovaliv said the mobilization bill is also about creating balance within the Armed Forces because some soldiers have been on active duty for two years without a break.
“We need to provide rotations for them,” Kovaliv told host David Cochrane in a Friday interview with CBC’s Power & Politics. “So the people need to go home. The people need to have a rest. And we need to recruit more people so there will be a rotation.”
Kovaliv, who recently lost her 35-year-old cousin to fighting at the frontline, said Ukrainian troops’ morale would improve with the delivery of more weapons from western countries.
Trudeau’s visit to Kyiv followed a similar morale-boosting excursion by U.S. lawmakers, who met with Zelenskyy on Friday.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer led a congressional delegation to demonstrate U.S. support and increase the pressure on House Republicans to pass a foreign aid bill that includes a further $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine, as well as support for Israel.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
