Debate: Address by Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Date: WEDNESDAY, 23 MARCH 2022
Speaker: Justin Trudeau
Language: EN

Avant de commencer, j’aimerais d’abord exprimer mes condoléances à la suite du décès en début d’année du président Sassoli. C’est une grande perte pour votre Parlement et pour l’Europe. J’aimerais également prendre un moment pour adresser mes condoléances aux proches des victimes de la tragédie de La Louvière ainsi qu’à tous ceux dont la vie a été bouleversée par ces événements. Nos pensées et notre amitié sont avec la Belgique dans ces moments difficiles.  I first addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg in 2017. It was the first time a Canadian Prime Minister addressed your Parliament. Back then, this Parliament saw me as someone new on the world stage. We got to work tackling progressive issues, building the things that we thought mattered. We could see that something was lurking off on the horizon, something shadowy, something that was threatening. We didn’t look close enough. When I spoke to this Parliament five years ago, I spoke about making multilateralism work for the middle class and those working hard to join it, so that economic frustrations don’t become fertile ground for populism, nativism, protectionism and the polarisation towards more extreme political views. Well, today we are staring these forces in the face as they threaten the peace, justice, truth, democracy and stability of our world. We have a choice about what we do next. Since 2017, the world has changed a lot. A global pandemic has taken the lives over of over six million people and disrupted the lives of everyone else. A global recession saw millions lose their jobs, with many economies still struggling to bounce back. It is a world that is no longer forecasting, but living, the dangers of climate change. There is a growing distrust of governments and facts, and a weakening of democratic institutions. We saw one of our staunchest guarantors of the rules—based order choosing for four years to step away from NATO and away from multilateralism, and now we see Putin’s criminal invasion of a sovereign, independent and democratic Ukraine. People have a real and deep sense of uncertainty about what the future holds. These are anxious times, and people are looking for leadership and solutions. Unfortunately, we’re seeing a rise in cynical populists who are trying to exploit these anxieties. They pretend to have easy solutions that play on people’s fears. Even in Canada, where 90% of people are vaccinated and our motto as a country is ‘peace, order and good government’, we saw anti—vaccine and anti-government protests devolve into illegal occupations of our communities and blockades of our borders. The leaders of those convoys were effective in turning citizens with real anxieties against the system best—suited to allay those concerns. But democracy isn’t a game, and there just aren’t easy solutions to the big, complex problems we are all facing. But that doesn’t mean that the way forward isn’t clear. There is no greater clarity than the will of the people who want better for themselves and their children at home, and no stronger defence against destructive forces from the outside, from outside our democracies, than the unwavering unity of like—minded partners. Au cours des quatre-vingts dernières années, nous avons collectivement établi et renforcé une série de règles et d’institutions afin d’accroître la stabilité et la prévisibilité dans les affaires internationales. Nous l’avons fait pour protéger les gens, pour leur offrir les meilleures perspectives de paix, pour défendre leur dignité et leurs droits inaliénables et pour faire en sorte qu’ils soient libres de choisir leur propre avenir. Aujourd’hui, ces règles et institutions sont ouvertement menacées. Vladimir Poutine a enfreint les préceptes les plus fondamentaux du droit international, et il tue maintenant les civils innocents en bombardant des hôpitaux et des immeubles résidentiels. Ce mépris flagrant des lois et de la vie humaine constitue une menace immense pour l’Europe et pour le monde entier.  Canada, the EU and all of our partners and allies are facing a defining moment. We cannot fail. We must meet this moment. I speak to you today no longer as someone quite so new. In fact, I may now be one of the longer—serving progressive leaders around. I’m certainly not going to pretend to have all the answers, but what I do know is that there is work that lies before us as thoughtful leaders, as people focused on the short— and long—term well-being of all our citizens, and as people committed to democracy and the values that underpin them. That work is more important than ever. Putin thought democracy was weak. He saw our disagreements and debates as weakness, but what he has never understood is that the rigours of debate, that forceful civic engagement, is what makes us strong, and that democracy at its best will always be stronger than authoritarianism. If we’re going to be honest, and we need to be honest in this place, we haven’t always been at our best these past years. Putin thought we were divided. He thought he could weaken the EU and NATO. He miscalculated, and he is seeing it backfire. NATO and the EU are now more resolved and united than ever, because all of us in this room who are committed to democracy know in our bones that democracy didn’t happen by accident, and it will not continue without deliberate, mindful effort. Mes amis, je veux être bien clair. Les Européens, y compris nos alliés en Europe de l’Est, peuvent compter sur l’amitié et le soutien total du Canada. Le Canada dirige le groupement tactique de la présence avancée rehaussée de l’OTAN en Lettonie, mission qui regroupe dix pays de l’OTAN. Depuis cinq ans, des centaines de militaires canadiens sont déployés à des milliers de kilomètres de chez eux pour se positionner à 200 kilomètres de la frontière russe. Ils sont déployés en Lettonie, parce que ce qui est important pour la sécurité de l’Europe l’est aussi pour la sécurité du Canada. Récemment, nous avons annoncé que nous doublions notre déploiement dans le cadre de l’OTAN pour les années à venir. Ces militaires ne défendent pas seulement la Lettonie et l’Europe de l’Est; ils défendent notre liberté, notre sécurité et toutes nos démocraties.  We cannot let Ukraine down. They are counting on us, so let’s use all the tools we have at our disposal. President Zelenskyy and I have been talking often about the strong ties between our countries. Canada, as mentioned, is home to the second largest Ukrainian community in the world after Russia, so we must all collectively step up to provide humanitarian aid, to support families affected by this war, and already start thinking about investing to rebuild Ukraine afterwards. We must all continue to send military equipment and lethal aid to help Ukrainians in their heroic defence, not just of their lands, but of all of the principles that defend ours. We must continue to impose unprecedented sanctions on Putin and his enablers in Russia and Belarus, increasing the pressure as much as we can. We must ensure that the decision to invade a sovereign, independent country is understood to be a strategic failure that carries with it ruinous costs for Putin and Russia. Putin’s attack on Ukraine is an attack on the values that form the pillars of all democracies. We have a responsibility to make the case to people about why these values matter so much, not just to Ukrainians, but to us all. We must recommit ourselves to the work of strengthening our democracies and demonstrate the principled leadership citizens everywhere are looking for. That leadership means reinforcing the things our citizens have in common, rather than playing to their differences. The task before us is not small, but given the right tools, we can do it. We should all be reassured of how much of this work is already underway in this place and in parliaments like it across Europe and around the world. Au Canada, notre gouvernement élabore actuellement une nouvelle mesure législative pour lutter contre les méfaits en ligne. Cette année, le Canada assume la présidence de la Coalition pour la liberté en ligne, et nous comptons mettre l’accent sur la protection des droits de la personne, l’inclusion et la diversité dans l’espace numérique. Ici, à l’Union européenne, votre devise est «Unie dans la diversité». Au Canada, la diversité est aussi au cœur de notre identité. Bien sûr, nous savons qu’il y a toujours plus de travail à faire, mais sur le plan de la réconciliation avec les peuples autochtones, de la lutte contre le racisme systémique, de l’égalité des sexes et de la défense des communautés LGBTQ2, nous faisons énormément de progrès. Que ce soit en assurant la mise en œuvre de la Déclaration des Nations unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones ou en investissant pour soutenir les entrepreneurs des communautés noires, nous donnons des outils pour la croissance économique à ceux qui, trop souvent, ont été laissés pour compte.  Governments can and should play a positive role in people’s lives. In Canada, like in many European countries, we made massive investments to respond to the COVID—19 pandemic. It was the right thing to do to protect our people, and it was the necessary thing to do to ensure a strong and robust economic recovery. We know that when we invest in people, including in the most vulnerable, and when we grow the middle class and make life more affordable for everyone, not only do individuals benefit, but our entire country and the foundations of our democracy also benefit. Que ce soit les conséquences immédiates de l’insécurité alimentaire, de l’inflation et des prix élevés de l’essence, ou que ce soit les conséquences à long terme du changement climatique ou de la pandémie, les démocraties doivent faire de leur mieux pour engager les conversations difficiles et nécessaires avec leurs citoyens afin de trouver des solutions. En matière de lutte contre le changement climatique, la collaboration entre le Canada et l’Union européenne continue d’être essentielle. Notre travail se poursuit pour accélérer la transition vers une énergie verte et renouvelable, pour respecter nos engagements de la COP 26 et pour sécuriser nos chaînes d’approvisionnement, y compris pour les minéraux critiques. Il faut continuer d’agir ensemble pour bâtir un avenir plus propre et une économie plus résiliente.  Canada and European countries also share the goals of reducing poverty and inequality while growing the middle class. We share aspirations for a better, safer and cleaner future. Progressive trade agreements, like CETA, are helping our economies grow and creating good jobs while protecting high standards for workers, consumers and the environment. Our ability to pull together, despite differences, and deliver for people really matters, and I thank you all for that. With the longest coastline in the world, Canada’s shores reach out into the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans. Our connections with the whole of the Americas is strong. We’re one of the most globally connected partners at the UN, with memberships in NATO, the G7, the G20, the Arctic Council, APEC, the OAS, the Commonwealth and  We all have a lot of work to do, and collaboration will be key to success towards building a better future for our kids and our grandkids. It will require constant efforts, but I’m confident that we are up to the task. I’m confident in all of us here today. I’m confident in the resilience of our institutions, and mostly I’m confident in our citizens. I can say that that because of what I have witnessed over the past four weeks. The resolve of our united response to this unacceptable invasion has been stronger than anything Putin expected – and not just from governments, but from citizens in all our countries. It’s that spirit and resolve that we must take forward with us. The European Union has mobilised to defend democracy, and, as always, you can count on the friendship and full support of Canada every step of the way. Ensemble, nous devons soutenir les démocraties partout à travers le monde, y compris les plus fragiles, et lutter contre l’autoritarisme grâce à plus d’investissements et en nous engageant pour montrer l’exemple. Nous devons appuyer les gens courageux comme le président Zelensky et les Ukrainiens qui luttent pour leurs droits. Chacun de nous doit poursuivre son travail afin d’améliorer la démocratie dans son propre pays.  Five years ago, we saw the storm clouds on the horizon. But today, we are clear-eyed.  Continuons à combattre les mensonges par la vérité, la peur par les faits et la division par l’unité.  As long as we don’t take our democracy for granted, as long as we keep working every day to make it better, as long as our partnerships are strong, we can be confident in the future. In the words of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, light will win over darkness.