Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to address parliament this morning, for the latest in a series of virtual meetings during which he pleads for international aid.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has intensified in recent days as more than two million people have fled the country so far and airstrikes have targeted the capital kyiv.
Parliament was not due to sit until March 21, but House Speaker Anthony Rota approved a special request to hold the speech and allow guests to attend.
During a visit to Europe last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would send an additional $50 million in specialized equipment to help Ukraine. He also imposed new sanctions on Russian oligarchs, government officials and supporters of the country’s politics.
Canada also committed $145 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2022 and created new immigration measures to help people fleeing war.
Mr Zelensky addressed the UK House of Commons on March 8 and is expected to address members of the US House and Senate on Wednesday.
The Canadian event, which kicks off at 11:15 a.m. EDT, will also feature Trudeau, Rota, Senate Speaker George Furey, Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green MP Elizabeth May.
Mr. Trudeau invited Mr. Zelensky to speak in Parliament during his trip to Europe.
Government House Leader Mark Holland then asked Mr Rota to time the event in a letter, calling the Russian invasion “unjustifiable”.
Mr. Holland had written that it would be an opportunity for Canadians to hear directly from President Zelensky about the urgent and dire situation facing the Ukrainian people.
Mr. Trudeau pledged Canada’s continued support for Ukraine.
“President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine are showing such courage and resilience. They are not just defending their country, they are defending the democratic values that are so important to all of us,” he said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, a Berlin-based international think tank, on March 9.
NATO has rejected Mr. Zelensky’s repeated demands to impose a no-fly zone over the country, a move that Mr. Trudeau said would lead to an unnecessary escalation of the war.