The House of Commons was possible the fullest it has ever been since moving to the temporary Chamber in the West Block, not only with most of the seats filled, but there was seating down the centre aisle for senators and other dignitaries, and the galleries were almost full for possibly the first time ever. Mind you, not all of the seats were occupied by MPs—as which happens during these kinds of events, empty seats were filled with staffers and spouses (and even then, the NDP still left most of their seats empty).
Prime minister Justin Trudeau led with a welcoming address, speaking of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, and the shared values between our countries. Trudeau personally addressed Zelenskyy as a friend, calling him a champion of democracy, to much applause, and Zelenskyy appeared touched. When the applause died down, Trudeau announced new sanctions laid that morning, and moved onto the incalculable human costs facing the Ukrainian people, saying that Putin must stop it now. Trudeau praised Ukrainians for standing up to authoritarianism, said they would stand with them as friends, and then turned over the proceedings to Zelenskyy.
From the screen, Zelenskyy addressed the assembled parliamentarians and guests, including “dear Justin,” and asked them to imagine cities in this country being bombarded by Russia, and how to explain to their children about this war of aggression. He described the scene of the invasion, columns of military vehicles entering the country, the bombardment of schools and hospitals. He listed off Canadian landmarks and monuments to imagine coming under bombardment like in Ukraine. He compared the siege of Mariupol as a city like Vancouver, and asked Trudeau to imagine reading the daily reports of casualties, including 97 children currently confirmed dead from the attacks. He said that this is their reality, as they wait to the next bombs to fall.
Zelenskyy described more of the attacks on his country, including the fires at nuclear power plants. He noted the friendship with Canada, and made the plea for a no-fly zone (which cannot happen because it will mean a shooting war with a nuclear power). The video broke up a little, before he listed actions that Canada has taken, but noted that it has not ended the war. He called on Canada to do more to protect Ukraine and stop Russia. He said that he was not asking for much, and said that Canada has been leading, and asked for more of this leadership in order to get others onside to get these measures. He made another plea for a no-fly zone, before saying that Russia is attempting to destroy their future, their nation and their character. He asked Canada to expand their efforts, and asked the diaspora in Canada to provide practical support, so that they could show they were more than just part of Ukraine’s history. Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Trudeau and Canada, before ending the address with “Glory to Ukraine, thank you Canada,” to great applause.
Once things died down, Speaker Furey of the Senate made his remarks to thank Zelenskyy for his words, and he quoted a Hebrew phrase from the Old Testament meaning “here I stand,” that leaders would utter, much as Zelenskyy stands, and Canada stands with Ukraine. “Ukraine, simply put, is family,” Furey declared.
Speaker Rota gave his remarks, calling Ukraine woven into the fabric of Canadian society, and quoted Zelenskyy from two years ago about the heroes of Ukraine in the arts and culture, calling Zelenskyy one of those heroes.
Next up was Candice Bergen, declaring her caucuses admiration and respect for Ukrainians, and her personal respect for Zelenskyy. She spoke of the heartbreaking images, but also the inspiring scenes they see, noting that they are standing for all of us, as Putin’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us. She noted the diaspora community, before returning to Putin and his war of aggression, his tuning over the international rules-based order, and his use of lies (which is a bit ironic there). She called for him to be brought to justice at The Hague, for air space to be protected over humanitarian corridors, and then promised that any Ukrainians who flee to Canada will be well taken care of before they are able to return home.
Yves-François Blanchet rose for the Bloc, and he called for more severe sanctions, so that pressure could come from within Russia to end the war, and wanted the Canadian government to remove barriers to welcoming more Ukrainian refugees, and the need for a “humanitarian bridge” to Ukraine. He noted with reluctance the need for more weapons, but called on more weapons to be delivered so that Ukrainians can fight for their homeland. He called the Russian people the first victims of Putin and praised Zelenskyy for turning the Russian propaganda machine against them. Blanchet empathised with the Ukrainians living through the current war, and praised their dignity and bravery, before declaring that Zelenskyy would win the war.
Jagmeet Singh rose next, thanking Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, before repeating what Zelenskyy asked people to imagine, and said that Canadians would stand with Ukraine and would provide as much help as possible. He promised more action on sanctions, and promising to meet the needs of Ukrainians. He recalled a Punjabi phrase from his mother about rising spirits in the face of difficult circumstances, and defiant optimism.
Finally, last to speak was Elizabeth May, who read the words of Ukraine’s Green leader, writing from a bomb shelter, her voice breaking as she did so. She noted that Greens around the world were united in knowing that a no-fly zone would only escalate a war with Russia, but called on Canada and the world to invent new means of helping Ukrainians in order to find a peace. She hoped that he would be able to join them in person, with a free and victorious Ukraine able to find Canada worthy of its friendship.
Rota made closing remarks, to more applause and chants.
