Debate: Address by Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Date: WEDNESDAY, 23 MARCH 2022
Speaker: Siegfried Mureşan
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Canadian soldiers have fought for democracy and freedom in Europe throughout the First World War and throughout the Second World War. We have seen, we have known, we have felt, that we can rely on the people of Canada and on Canada when it comes to defending freedom and democracy in Europe. And today, Prime Minister, you came again to Europe to defend a European country, and for this, we all in Europe and all of us in the free world say thank you. The partnership between Canada and the European Union is a long one, is a strong one. It is based on democracy. It is based on the rule of law. It is based on equality. It is based on the freedom of speech. And now is the time for all free nations to stand up in the name of these values, to be united and defend Ukraine. Because defending Ukraine means defending Europe and it means defending the free world. The rules that our western societies are built on are good for the people, and now is the time to reject the habits and the lack of rules on which the regime of Vladimir Putin is based on. Now is the time for all of us to say no to threat, to exclusion, to hate, to fear, to intimidation because we have all seen that after the people of central and eastern Europe have defeated Communism 30 years ago, choosing transatlantic values, choosing the European Union, choosing NATO membership, brought safety, stability and prosperity to central and eastern European countries. And if this is what the people of Ukraine choose for their country, it is our duty as European Union and as Canada to stand by the side of the people of Ukraine together. This is the first and most important thing that we have to do: to answer the call of the people of Ukraine. The second thing is to be united. And I believe this is what citizens in Europe and in Canada expect of us, because we have seen people in Helsinki, in Tallinn, in Prague, in Berlin, in Paris, in Warsaw, going on the streets in defending Ukraine, exactly as people of Canada have gone to the streets, to Montreal, to Hamilton, to Edmonton, to Toronto and to Canada in the past weeks. We have to be united, this is what the people expect of us and we have shown unity already in the last weeks by acting together when it came to sanctions. But I believe dear colleagues, I believe, Prime Minister, as you have also said, we have to do more when it comes to sanctions. Maximum support to Ukraine, but also maximum possible cost for the Russian Federation. We have to enlarge the list of Russian politicians, enlarge the list of Russian businesspeople and oligarchs who we sanctioned. We have to tell them very clearly: no more skiing in the Alps, no more shopping in Paris or Vienna, no more sunbathing in Nice or on the coasts of Europe as long as the regime which they are supporting in Russia is invading a free country. We have to close loopholes. We have to forbid access to public procurement for Russian companies, be it private or public, here in the European Union and also in Canada. And we have to reduce our dependency on Russian fossil fuels as much as possible and as soon as possible. We have to be honest and transparent also to the people in our countries in telling them that defending democracy costs, but not defending democracy would cost even more. Now is the time for leadership. It is the time for unity. It is the time for defending the European values, the transatlantic values, the alliances that we are together in, which have proven the test of time, they stood the test of time. Thank you once again very much for coming to Europe today, for speaking to us in the Parliament, for showing your solidarity. It is always good to know that we have friends in these times.