The tragic war in Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold. Thousands of innocent Ukrainians have been killed and injured while millions have been driven from their homes.
The Liberal government’s response to the war has been tepid considering the scale of the invasion and the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Canada must do more to help a free and democratic Ukraine defend itself against a Russian government intent on conquering Ukraine through brutal acts of aggression.
I agree with retired Canadian Forces General Rick Hillier that Canada needs to increase its military spending on arms and equipment being sent to Ukraine.
I also share the concerns of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress that the current deployment of money will take too much time as the budget winds its way through the legislative process. I agree that this is time the Ukrainian people do not have.
The Canadian military has in its possession weapons and armoured vehicles that it can send to Ukraine now. Further delays and red-tape will cost more Ukrainian lives and hinder the war effort.
There are also concerns that the Canadian government has not been transparent about how it is spending its military aid. As much as possible, the Canadian government should state how it is deploying its military aid to assure Canadians that it doing what it can to help Ukrainians defend themselves.
The Ukrainian people have suffered devastating loss at the hands of much larger foreign power. Brave Ukrainians are not only fighting for their survival, they are fighting to preserve their freedom and way of live. The fight against tyranny belongs to every free person. Tyranny must not be allowed to succeed. Canada has the means to help Ukraine defend itself. What we need now is the political will.
