Canada announces trade action against Russia, more lethal aid and new immigration streams for Ukrainians
Canada will be opening new ways for Ukrainians to seek refuge in this country and is sending additional lethal aid for Ukraine to use in the ongoing Russian-launched war. The government is also taking major trade action against Russia and is calling for the country to be suspended from international criminal policing organization Interpol.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Thursday that in his latest conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky he told him that “Canada would continue to be there for them.”
The latest example of this, he said, is Canada joining other nations in calling for Russia to be suspended from Interpol.
“We're supporting this because we believe that international law enforcement co-operation depends on a collective commitment to the universal declaration of human rights and mutual respect between Interpol members.”
As a result of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unjustified attack on Ukraine, an estimated one million people have fled Ukraine. In response, Canada is opening up two new immigration streams.
One will allow an unlimited number of Ukrainians to come to this country on a temporary basis with expedited emergency visas, and the other is a new family reunification pathway for those looking to stay permanently in Canada.
For those looking to come to Canada while the attack continues, this stream will allow Ukrainians to stay for up to two years. Most visa requirements will be waived, including fees and language assessments, and in order to qualify individuals will need to complete a “simple” application form and provide biometrics for security and background screening.
Everyone who arrives under this new stream will also be eligible for a work permit or study permit that will allow them to take a job with any Canadian employer or enroll in an education program, said Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser on Thursday, encouraging businesses to “step up” and hire those who arrive.
He said that over the last week he’s heard from numerous people and community groups, including his mother, who have offered to welcome Ukrainians.
Fraser said his main motivation in using a processing system with the “greatest horsepower and the fewest administrative requirements,” comparable to the program that handles two million temporary visa applications a year, was to expedite the processing of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have fled to neighbouring countries, prompting a refugee crisis.
However, it will take approximately two weeks before the application process opens. He noted the existing temporary residence visa application form is open and requests are being processed on a priority basis, with 6,131 Ukrainians already arriving in Canada since Jan. 19.
“Canada is ready to welcome Ukrainians fleeing Vladimir Putin’s war, and there is no limit to the number of applications that we are going to be willing to accept,” Fraser said.
For those looking to make Canada their home, the government is also introducing an expedited path to permanent residency for Ukrainians seeking to reunite with family members who are already in Canada, through a new family sponsorship program with the details to be finalized in collaboration with Ukrainian-Canadian community groups in the coming weeks.
“The reason for our commitment goes beyond the historic ties between Canada and Ukraine… I can't help but think that centuries from now historians will be writing of the courage on display in Ukraine today,” Fraser said. “From the fearless leadership of President Zelensky, to the young fathers with tears in their eyes delivering their children to safety before they return to the frontlines… to the unarmed grandmothers confronting Russian soldiers.”
CANADA SLAPS HEFTY TARIFF ON RUSSIAN TRADE
Canada is also revoking Russia and Belarus’ “most-favoured nation status” as trading partners, meaning they will be subjected to a 35 per cent tariff on their exports to Canada.
Canada is the first country to take this step, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Thursday, adding that the only other nation that Canada subjects to this high tariff and deprives of other associated benefits is North Korea.
“We are working closely with our partners and allies to encourage them to take the same step,” Freeland said.
Referencing the latest round of sanctions levied on 10 Russian executives, Freeland said that the total number of people and entities sanctioned by Canada since Russia's occupation of Crimea in 2014, has now risen to more than 1,000.
“The G7 has already imposed the strongest sanctions ever inflicted on a major economy, on Russia, and more will follow in the days to come. The ruble has been down by as much as 30 per cent this week… The Russian stock market is closed today for the fourth consecutive day,” said the finance minister. “The economic costs of the Kremlin's barbaric war are already high, and they will continue to rise.”
Freeland told reporters that she feels there has been a “tipping point” in the international community and there’s widespread agreement that allied countries will only keep ratcheting up the pressure. She said the sanctions—particularly on Putin’s “sycophants” and “enablers” who have “enjoyed a pretty fabulous lifestyle in the West,”—are working.
“We are using tools which no one would even have imagined deploying just a week ago, and there's more to come,” Freeland said.
CANADA SENDING ROCKET LAUNCHERS, GRENADES
Defence Minister Anita Anand also announced Thursday that adding to their cadre of lethal aid shipments to Ukraine, the Canadian Armed Forces will be sending from their stockpile up to 4,500 rocket launchers, and up to 7,500 hand grenades.
“These weapons… will be transported to the region as quickly and safely as possible,” Anand said.
Canada is also sending Ukraine $1 million to go towards the purchase of high-resolution modern satellite imagery, providing Ukraine's military to better monitor the movement of Russian forces.
“As we see the horrific impacts of Putin's aggression, we must continue to remember that our allies and partners are united, and that we are going to keep adding to the measures to support Ukraine’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity,” Anand said. "Only Putin knows what Putin will do, and it is our job to do everything we can to protect as many lives as possible together with our NATO allies.”
Asked about Canadians who may be looking to go to Ukraine to join their foreign legion, Anand said that the government is not facilitating this, but the Canadian Armed Forces is currently recruiting and would welcome applications. Anand noted the military has trained over 33,000 Ukrainian soldiers since 2015, with 3,400 troops currently on high-readiness alert in Europe should NATO’s posture evolve.
Meanwhile in the House of Commons on Thursday morning, MPs unanimously agreed to a motion from NDP MP Charlie Angus calling on the City of Ottawa to consider renaming the portion of Charlotte Street, which houses the Russian embassy, in honor of Zelensky. The city has already installed new blue and yellow "Free Ukraine" street sign blades in front of embassy.
Later in the day, MPs gave a standing ovation to the Charge d'Affaires at Ukraine’s embassy in Ottawa Andrii Bukvych, who was in the viewing gallery for question period.
Get in touch
Are you in Ukraine? Do you have family in Ukraine? Are you or your family affected? Email dotcom@bellmedia.ca.
- Please include your name, location, and contact information if you are willing to speak to a journalist with CTV News.
- Your comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Local Spotlight
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.