Ukrainian diaspora says Canada must do more to support Ukraine against Putin

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Members of Canada’s large Ukrainian diaspora are increasingly frustrated with what they see as their government’s inability to support Ukraine as it faces the prospect of a full-scale Russian invasion. ladder.

Last week, Canada announced a loan of around $95 million to Ukraine to support its economy, while stipulating that the money should not be spent on weapons. A Canadian warship has also been sent to the Black Sea, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is considering more support, including the possibility of $10 million in small arms aid.

These measures have failed to impress the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada. Prominent Ukrainian-Canadian philanthropist James Temerty called the loan “poor.” Paul Grod, the Canadian president of the Ukrainian World Congress, says the community is “very disappointed” in the lack of stronger support.

“The feedback I’m getting is that people understand Canada isn’t a global superpower, but they’re disappointed that the Canadian government hasn’t pushed the envelope,” Grod said. “Canada should be at the top of the G7 to support Ukraine and not be in the middle of the pack.

On the other hand, the European Commission announced on January 24 a new emergency macro-financial assistance program of 1.2 billion euros for Ukraine. A few weeks earlier, US President Joe Biden had given the green light to a $200 million weapons program. In recent days, Britain has provided Ukraine with large arms shipments, including 2,000 short-range anti-tank systems.

Support also came from individual NATO members. The Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have received permission from the United States to supply Ukraine with American-made Stinger and Javelin systems, while the Czechs have declared their readiness to supply ammunition . The Netherlands and Spain have deployed fighter jets and warships to the Black Sea region, while Turkey continues to help arm Ukraine and has kept the Black Sea open to naval forces of NATO.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially thanked Canada for its recent loan, but a statement released by the Ukrainian Embassy in Canada took on a different tone: “Faced with the risk of another Russian invasion, we must defend our land . The United Kingdom and the United States have already shipped military equipment and we would appreciate if Canada did the same.

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Canada has a long history of close ties with Ukraine and provided strong support during the past eight years of Ukraine’s undeclared war with Russia. Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, Canadian authorities have committed more than $700 million in “multifaceted support”, including development assistance, humanitarian and financial assistance, a program of operations of peace and stabilization and the deployment of police trainers and 200 military training personnel under a program due to expire in March 2022.

In addition to this official support, significant funds have flowed from Canada to Ukraine from individuals, Ukrainian churches and the 50 community organizations that make up the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. This has been accompanied by traditional diaspora support for businesses, churches, universities, hospitals and humanitarian initiatives in Ukraine.

With approximately 1.3 million members, the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada is one of the largest in the world. The diaspora has traditionally enjoyed considerable political influence, which helps explain why Canada was one of the first nations to recognize independence from Ukraine in 1991. With that in mind, Grod says the community is puzzled by the lack of a stronger Canadian response to the current situation. crisis.

“The fact that Canada has not renewed its Unifier [military training] the mission is difficult to understand. This commitment should have been made weeks ago,” says Grod. “Why did it take so long to renew this? My request to the Canadian government is that they not only renew this mission, but renew it with improved capabilities, such as moving training from western Ukraine to eastern Ukraine. Canada should provide much more military equipment and support.

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Many critics attribute Canada’s response to being overly cautious. Canada’s Chief of Defense Staff, Wayne Eyre, recently expressed concern that further military support for Ukraine could escalate the situation and “provoke rather than deter Putin.”

Grod is unconvinced by such arguments and believes Canada can and should do much more. “Why is Canada afraid of getting too far ahead of itself? In foreign policy, Canada is lagging behind. He has influence and should use it to challenge the Germans and others who have been very weak. We must send a clear message to Russia and our international allies, especially Germany and France, that this is an existential threat. The Prime Minister and his team say all the right things, but we need them to deliver.

The policies of greater diplomatic support and military aid to Ukraine are fully endorsed by Canada’s official opposition party, the Progressive Conservatives. Tory MP James Bezan, who has been personally sanctioned by Russia, accused the government of being “essentially empty-handed in offering any help to Ukraine”.

Grod applauds the Americans and the British for “leading the way” and says Canada could still make a big difference by providing arms, technology, manpower and diplomatic influence. Other prominent members of the country’s Ukrainian diaspora share these sentiments.

“Canada only gave one loan, it’s really disappointing,” said Bob Onyschuk, former president of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. “There is bipartisan support in Canada, it’s not a party issue, it’s a non-political issue. It’s a crisis. Canada must act to help more.

Diane Francis is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, Managing Editor of the National Post in Canada, author of ten books, and author of a newsletter on America.

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The opinions expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Atlantic Council, its staff or its supporters.

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Image: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly attend a joint press conference in Kyiv. January 18, 2022. (Ukrainian Foreign Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)

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