Foreign Affairs committee  The UCC would certainly welcome greater transparency of sanctions regimes. Since 2014 the UCC called for the imposition of strong sanctions following the invasion of Crimea and the Donbass. We did not see anything particularly muscular coming from Canada. We urged, at a minimum, a mirroring of what the Americans were doing and what the EU was doing.

Foreign Affairs committee  For the simple fact that it exists; there are pipelines through Ukraine and through Poland that are alternatives to Nord Stream 1. If this is about the turbine, you avoid the question of the turbine by using one of the other pipelines. If the question is about sanctions, though, then you don't avoid the question.

Foreign Affairs committee  Absolutely. That has been the position of the UCC since before the war began. We warned in the months leading up to the full-scale invasion that strong deterrence was the only way to stop an invasion. We called for arming Ukraine, for sanctions, before. Unfortunately, that only started to happen in the days leading up to the war.

Foreign Affairs committee  The Ukrainian Canadian Congress appreciates all of the assistance that Canada and allies have been providing, but on this point we respectfully disagree. We believe that this was a test of unity on sanctions. We believe that this has created a chink in the armour. It's not too late to reverse that decision.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you.

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Bergeron, for the clarification with respect to the motion. I am always ready to testify before this committee and any other. With regard to the EU sanctions, I believe the EU will reconsider its position, given that we have now seen Russia cut off Poland, Bulgaria and Finland because they did stick to the sanctions.

Foreign Affairs committee  I do not have our comparison chart at hand. Our office runs that metric, and we can share it with the committee if you'd like. One of the things that Canada could do that would do more than sanctions is declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. That would take care of a lot of the issues that we are talking about.

Foreign Affairs committee  That debate is ongoing south of our border. Our American friends, in both Houses, are considering a motion to do just that. As Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker, said, “If Russia is not listed as a state sponsor of terrorism, tear up the list.”

Foreign Affairs committee  It's a war that Ukraine is fighting for all western democracies. If Ukraine loses this war, as Jens Stoltenberg said, eventually that war will bleed out to Europe and beyond. We know that from Putin's statements. You've all read his manifestos, in which he foresees a reconstitution not just of the former Soviet Union, but of the Russian empire.

Foreign Affairs committee  Again, hearkening back to my earlier response, I am not a military expert, but I do believe—

Foreign Affairs committee  Of the avenues that have been pursued by the allies so far, I think where we could see more is in even greater sanctions. I don't believe that we have seen the “sanctions from hell” that President Biden forecast many months ago. They seem to be coming in spurts. I think they could certainly be more aggressive and more comprehensive.

Foreign Affairs committee  I think this is the first waiver of sanctions that we have seen. I think it is the thin edge of the wedge and the way to resolve it is to revoke that permit and show Putin that the west will not be toyed with.

Foreign Affairs committee  We have always advocated for more and continued assistance to Ukraine. We are, of course, grateful for the support that the Government of Canada has provided to date, but the war is not over. The economic situation in Ukraine is deteriorating. They need more help and of course on the military front the Ukrainians must be allowed to win this war.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Bezan, I never thought that I would have to learn the language of war or understand military procurement. It pains me every day that I have to do that. I don't pretend to be a military expert. When we are asked these questions, we defer to our embassy in Ottawa to assist us in understanding what the needs of Ukraine are.

Foreign Affairs committee  We, of course, have the International Criminal Court that has taken steps and opened investigations. There is ongoing work with the Office of the Prosecutor. Personally, I would like to see Canada playing a greater role in the prosecution of war crimes. We are blessed to have amongst us a prominent jurist, the Honourable Louise Arbour, who has direct experience in that.