(Ottawa) “We want to live. We want to be victorious,” President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded before the Canadian Parliament in a historic address on Tuesday. Justin Trudeau paid tribute to his “friend”, a “champion of democracy”, and a “brave and exceptional leader”.
Posted at 11:38 a.m.
Updated at 1:04 p.m.
President Volodymyr Zelensky devoted a good part of his speech to talking about what his people are going through, their “reality”, since last February 24, on day 20 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He recounted the disarray of the population of Mariupol.
“Since the start of this war, 97 children have died,” he said. “Every night is a nightmare. The Russians are bombing […] Imagine a fire breaking out in a nuclear power plant. This is what happened in Ukraine, ”he dropped in a speech delivered in Ukrainian, virtually.
“We want to live. We want to be victorious”, insisted the president, accusing the Russians of “destroying everything” and reiterating his request to “close the airspace [de l’Ukraine] missiles and planes” from Russia.
Kyiv’s request to impose a no-fly zone was dismissed out of hand by NATO countries, including Canada. Justin Trudeau also claimed to have rejected this specific request made to him by his Ukrainian counterpart, CTV reported last Thursday.
” Slava Ukrainian! (“Glory to Ukraine!”), we shouted many times in the House of Commons while applauding warmly, and at length, the President of Ukraine at the end of the speech he delivered.
“Champion of Democracy”
The Canadian Prime Minister took the floor first to greet his “friend”.
“Volodymyr, I’ve known you for years, and I’ve always considered you a champion of democracy. And now, democracies around the world are lucky to have you as their champion,” he said to his Ukrainian counterpart.
We then saw the image of the president appear on the giant screens installed in the House of Commons, and the applause rang out in the packed enclosure. In addition to deputies and senators, dignitaries took part in this historic event.
“Your courage, and the courage of your people, inspires us all. You defend the right of Ukrainians to choose their own future. And in doing so, you are defending the values that constitute the pillars of all free and democratic countries.
” Freedom. Human rights. Justice. The world order. These are the values for which you put your life on the line as you fight for Ukraine and Ukrainians,” continued Mr. Trudeau, whose speech was attended by the Speakers of the Senate and the House, and then , leaders of opposition parties.
A humanitarian no-fly zone?
The interim leader of the Conservative Party, Candice Bergen, hailed the “courage” of Volodymyr Zelensky as well as the sense of “sacrifice” in the exercise of his leadership. She also argued that Vladimir Putin should be brought to trial for his crimes before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
Somewhat surprisingly, she also argued that more needs to be done to protect the airspace above humanitarian corridors. In the Conservative benches and in the stands, the proposal was applauded, but not among the Liberals.
In turn, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, made a point of assuring the president that Quebeckers were massively lining up behind the Ukrainians who were victims of this “dirty” war waged by the Kremlin against its neighbor.
“Canadians are with Ukraine,” said New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh, urging the government to continue to impose “tough” sanctions on Moscow because “Putin doesn’t care about his people, of his country,” but not of his wealth, he argued.
New penalties
Awaiting that speech, a small handful of anti-war protesters were posted outside West Block on Tuesday morning. “No-fly zone = nuclear war,” read a man’s sign at the foot of the stairs leading to parliament.
“Negotiate a ceasefire! Stop sending arms,” read the poster of a lady beside him.
Canada has shipped lethal weapons to Ukraine, as have allies such as the United Kingdom and the United States. He also hit the Putin regime with a series of economic sanctions, the most recent targeting 15 people in the president’s entourage having been announced before Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech.
“Canada will continue to support Ukraine by providing military equipment, as well as financial and humanitarian assistance. And we will be there to help rebuild once the aggressor is repelled,” Prime Minister Trudeau insisted after highlighting the imposition of these new penalties.
The next stop – virtual – of the Ukrainian president, after that of Ottawa, is Washington, Wednesday. He was invited to speak to members of Congress by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Last week, Volodymyr Zelenzky gave a speech in the British Parliament, where he received a warm ovation. He had asked to designate Russia a “terrorist state” and to make “the skies of Ukraine safe,” according to the transcript of his plea.