Canada's role in the Russia-Ukraine war
Plus a recent PBO report, the CMHC's performance bonus spending spree, high-end ski club earns $1.4m in COVID relief, and more
As Putin’s war of conquest in Ukraine enters its 4th week, we see daily pictures of extreme suffering and the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding before our eyes. Civilians are cut off from escape in many regions as Russian forces conduct a conventional land war driven by layered artillery barrages. These are the same tactics they have used in the two Chechen wars, Syria, and Georgia. Major Ukrainian cities like Kharkiv and Mariupol have been reduced to rubble as artillery barrages continue. Historic cities like Kyiv, Lviv, and Odessa are likely next. Yet in all this, we must first realize the war on Ukraine did not begin a month ago but in 2014, when Putin seized Crimea and instigated separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Eastern Ukraine. There is a lot at stake for Canada and Canadians. The cost of not supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is too great.  If Putin and the Kremlin succeed in their aims, then it will embolden autocrats and dictators elsewhere in the world to roll the dice and gamble on the use of force to change their borders, capture territory or right historical wrongs by force of martial arms. There are weeks when decades of history are unmade before our eyes.
As the world looks upon Ukraine and prays for its success, the information we have received from the conflict offers hope, with Ukrainian morale being very high. President Zelenskyy’s lead-from-the-front leadership and inspiring statesmanship have bolstered morale further. You cannot ignore the successes that the Ukrainian military and armed civilians have made with pictures of downed Russian aircraft, destroy or captured mechanized vehicles, and Russian soldiers being confronted fills our screens. The skies of Ukraine are not being dominated by the Russian air force and Ukraine’s skies remain contested territory. While positive, the West should not rest on its laurels. Canada, and our allies, must support them as much as we can.
Canada has reacted strongly so far, placing biting sanctions on the Russian Federation, freezing and seizing assets of oligarchs tied to the Kremlin, and offering direct lethal arms as well as humanitarian aid. The Canadian government announced two special immigration programs for Ukrainians fleeing the war with mid-March as the start date. There will be a special expedited family sponsorship program for permanent residence for those with family connections in Canada. After all, Canada is home to one of the world’s largest Ukrainian diasporas in the world, with over 1 million in Canada tracing their roots back to that country. My preference, and the continued ask from Canada’s Conservatives, is to offer Ukrainians fleeing the war visa-free travel to Canada because it’s a faster solution and ensures we can help the maximum number of people knowing the war conditions will be temporary and most will return to their homes in Ukraine. Conservatives managed to pass a motion to this effect at the parliamentary immigration committee a week and a half ago with the help of the New Democrats and the Bloc. The Liberals voted against it.
Canada’s Conservatives have also called for a second round of support for Ukraine. We’ve asked the federal government to resume CF-18 policing operations as part of Operation REASSURANCE in Eastern Europe. This would meet our NATO commitments and ensure that NATO Secretary General’s warning to the Russian Federation is clear that any attack on a NATO ally would immediately invoke Article 5, where an attack on one NATO ally is an attack on us all. Next, we have also called for the Canadian government to send Canadian field hospitals and surplus Canadian army vehicles including the Bison armoured vehicle ambulances to Ukraine via Poland. This is tangible help we can provide the Ukrainian military and auxiliary forces to make a difference on the ground. Finally, we have also asked that Canada push to relocate the UNESCO World Heritage Committee session planned for June out of Kazan, Russia. This further isolates the Russian Federation and adds to its pariah status amongst the commonwealth of nations to maximize the pressure.
NATO has now twice declined to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. I support this decision. A no-fly zone is not as simple as declaring one on social media or at a press conference. It would place NATO pilots into direct conflict with Russian aircraft over the skies of Ukraine. It would require Allied aircraft to be willing to shoot down Russian aircraft and directly contest the skies of Ukraine. It would be an escalation and the Russian Federation has repeatedly warned it would consider such a decision an act of war. It would draw the entire NATO alliance into the war and Canada with it. Additionally, the Russian Federation is not Iraq where this was done successfully by the American government with minimal losses and risk. The Russian Federation’s close air defence for its field armies is comparable to what some NATO countries use and would very likely result in the airplanes being shot down, pilots being killed or captured. The broader risks are a serious escalation and the drawing of Canada into direct conflict with the Russian Federation at a time when our military remains unprepared and not mobilized for war with a nuclear power like Russia.
A few final thoughts here is that beyond just the Canadian government offering humanitarian and lethal arms directly to the Ukrainian people and its military, everyday Canadians can help also. There are many civic society groups like the Red Cross that are amassing funds to directly support Ukrainian in and outside of Ukraine fleeing the conflict. I have made donations and invite you to do so as well. There are also ways to directly help the Ukrainian military and there are online sources for this type of support directly from Ukrainian military websites as well as their embassies worldwide. Finally, I want to recognize the fact that over 550 Canadian fighters have joined the International Legion for Territorial Defence of Ukraine which is enough to form their own battalion in Kyiv as reported by the National Post through a Ukrainian military source on March 9th. I want to recognize the courage of this Canada Ukrainian Brigade and of all volunteers lending help in and outside of Ukraine, helping civilians escape and looking after their needs.
It is times like these that Canadians come together and offer our unconditional support to Ukraine and its people.
Canada’s debt financing costs to exceed $40 billion a year by 2025-26
A new report from Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) Yves Giroux found that the cost of financing the federal debt is projected to exceed $40 billion a year by 2025-26, doubling the cost from the beginning of the pandemic and billions higher than what the government has forecast. Public debt charges are expected to rise from $20.4 billion to an eyewatering $46 billion in 2026-27. It is simply further evidence of the Liberal government’s incompetence in managing Canada’s finances. Their massive borrowing binge and the recent increase in interest rates by the Bank of Canada will make life even more expensive for Canadians. The government should no longer ignore monetary policy and focus on improving the affordability crisis.
CMHC caught giving out $48 million in bonuses as housing affordability worsens
Newly uncovered documents from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation show that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) doled out over $48 million in bonuses over the last two years, during a time when the average home price has skyrocketed across the country. Yearly performance bonuses are given out for one reason — performance. Has the CMHC lived up to its mandate? They are meant to implement policies for housing affordability, yet they are patting themselves on the back with exorbitant bonuses as average homes now cost over $825,000. The same $48 million could have helped 80 families in Kamloops, 140 families in Edmonton, 70 families in London, or 195 families in Saint John buy a home. Canadians can no longer afford these failures from their government. It is time for a better approach to the housing crisis.
Exclusive private ski club receives $1.4m in COVID relief
Another government blunder was found this week, and this time by the CBC! The Georgian Peaks Ski Club, an exclusive, high-end private ski club located near Collingwood, Ontario, reportedly received $1.37 million in COVID relief funds from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) despite having a total budget surplus of $1.5 million, 3 times greater than its pre-COVID season. This is a club that requires an initiation fee of $43,000 dollars, thousands of dollars in annual fees per person, and spent $13 million on a brand-new lodge yet they faced no issues with receiving taxpayer dollars that small businesses desperately needed. It is just one of many businesses that took advantage of the Liberal government’s poorly structured COVID relief programs that had little to no oversight. In a recent Statistics Canada report, it was found that the $100 billion CEWS program had gone primarily to large corporations, with over 60% of recipients having more than 100 employees. Large corporations were three times as likely as small business to receive the subsidy, and the smallest businesses had the lowest usage rates despite being more susceptible to the fiscal shocks caused by the pandemic. A full audit of the federal government’s pandemic spending is necessary. We need to know who received taxpayer dollars and why.
Conservative Party leadership race begins in earnest
As many of you know, the Conservative Party of Canada has initiated the search for a new leader following the caucus vote to remove Erin O’Toole. This is an exciting time for the conservative movement as we begin a broad debate about future ideas we would implement should we earn the right to govern. The voting day will be on September 10, 2022. When I accepted interim Leader Candice Bergen’s request to appoint me as Deputy House Leader for the Official Opposition, I agreed to remain neutral in word and deed. I know this is a question I received often while serving as Conservative Caucus Chair in the last Parliament and therefore, I wanted to ensure I was transparent with residents and supporters at home that I will once again be remaining neutral.
Sorry but I’m not buying the propaganda narrative.