Not many issues cut across party lines and bring unanimous consent to a motion or course of action. Like no issue has for some time, the ongoing turmoil in Ukraine has done that.
 
On March 26th, the House unanimously passed a motion made by the Honourable Peter Van Loan, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. The motion unilaterally condemned “Russia’s continued illegal military occupation of Crimea.” It also called “for Russia to de-escalate the situation immediately,” and denounced Russia’s sanctions against certain Canadian government officials.

On April 7th, with tensions still razor sharp, our Foreign Affairs Minister, the Honourable John Baird, repeated the call for calm, and for Russia to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. “Russia must not interfere in the affairs of a sovereign state,” he said, calling that nation’s ongoing provocative actions “completely unacceptable.”

But over a month later, even with increased sanctions, the situation in Ukraine continues, and our government’s grave concerns persist. Prime Minister Harper believes that Russia is engaging in what appears to be a “slow motion invasion on the part of the Putin regime.”

The Yorkton-Melville constituency includes many people of Ukrainian ethnic descent who came here decades ago, and some more recently. They have expressed to me their concern, and I have passed that on in the House of Commons, and to whomever is willing to listen. As few others do, they realize the importance of freedom and the expression of that freedom through democracy.
 
My strong feeling, regarding Ukraine and other nations in which people are being oppressed, is that it is vital that Canada take a strong stand. If we fail to oppose governments that abuse their power, and to stand up and speak up for fellow democratic nations who are victims, we are no better than the abusers. This is what it means to be human – not simply to defend one’s own interests, but also the rights and interests of the downtrodden and oppressed, whether individuals or nations.

Canada has increased sanctions against Russia. That country will feel the economic pressure. Our Prime Minister has voiced that he remains: “committed to working with our allies to preserve and promote a free, democratic and peaceful world, and will take further actions if Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity continues to be threatened.”

Following World War II, many who were intimately involved in the circumstances that led up to that war expressed their strong opinion that if the Allies had responded more quickly to Germany’s invasive actions, that war could have been avoided.
 
We live in a different world today. Germany is now a solid ally. But time and history have proven that when it comes to world powers, the desire on the part of some to gain supremacy over others is a constant. I believe that as a nation blessed with peace and prosperity, we must never fail in our determination to do, to the best of our ability and knowledge, the right thing at the right time and in the right way.

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The audio version of Garry's May 12, 2014 op-ed column can be heard by clicking here