Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau updated Canadians on his governments’ efforts to aid an embattled Ukraine. The Trudeau government has almost daily announced sanctions and aid to Ukraine, both lethal and non-lethal.
Flanked by his deputy prime minister and his defense minister, Trudeau spelled out his government’s latest efforts to help Ukraine.
“We announced that we would be sending new shipments of military supplies, including body armor, helmets, gas masks and night vision goggles," he said. "Today we are announcing that we will be supplying Ukraine with anti-tank weapons systems and upgrade ammunition.”
Trudeau also said the Canadian armed forces would provide air lift support to NATO. In addition, Canada has closed its airspace to Russian aircraft operators and has joined other major countries in slapping sanctions on key Russian figures and institutions.
“As of this morning, Canadian financial institutions are barred from any transactions with the Russian central bank and we are prohibiting any direct or indirect dealings in Russian sovereign debt,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau said he will also ask Canada’s broadcast regulator to review the presence of the Russian broadcaster, Russia Today, on Canadian airwaves. Some broadcast providers have already started to remove RT.
Trudeau added that Canada will also fast-track those Ukrainians who want to come to Canada and safety.
Earlier in the day Trudeau’s foreign affairs minister, Melanie Joly, addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“Today, as millions of Ukrainians suffer the indignity of war, we too face our own responsibilities to speak up and to act, to demand in the name of humanity that Putin’s Russia end this madness,” Joly said.
Joly also said that more sanctions will be coming.
And in Canada’s House of Commons, members of parliament set aside differences and spoke up in solidarity with Ukraine.