Canada's foreign minister says China peace talks in Moscow will prolong Ukraine war
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says China's attempts to broker peace in Ukraine will likely just help Russia re-arm and prolong the conflict.
In a Monday statement, Joly said the only way to end the war is for Russian President Vladimir Putin to "lay down his weapons and get out of Ukraine," and accused Moscow of turning to Beijing with a false premise.
"Make no mistake, the Russian regime is looking to buy time to resupply, recruit and re-attack," Joly said in the statement.
"A ceasefire not predicated on Russia's withdrawal of their troops from Ukrainian territory would only serve Putin's agenda by freezing the conflict before his losses become even greater."
Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Russia, arriving on Monday for peace talks after Beijing laid out a proposal that calls for an end to the conflict, although Xi has no plans to visit Kyiv.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said she wouldn't comment on Xi's motives, but said everyone must call out Moscow's "illegal and barbaric" invasion of Ukraine.
"The people responsible for that invasion are war criminals. Everyone in the world has a responsibility to be very clear about that," she said at an event in Oshawa, Ont.
"All the countries in the world have an absolutely clear interest in Putin's war failing, because Putin's invasion of Ukraine is the strongest challenge in a generation to the rules-based international order."
Freeland also noted the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant last Friday for Putin to face charges of war crimes.
"Countries that choose to support Russia are supporting war criminals and a war crime," Freeland said.
Canada and the other countries in the G7 have said since last October that they will support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" with humanitarian and military aid.
Yet developing countries have lamented feeling forced to choose sides between Russia's invasion and the West's opposition to it.
At last month's Munich Security Conference, countries such as Colombia argued that the conflict is diverting funding and attention away from the climate crisis, while others such as Namibia said the focus should be on ending the violence instead of assigning blame.
Beijing has argued along the same lines, and accused western powers of escalating the conflict through arms shipments.
"Our position has always been that dialogue and negotiation provides the fundamental way out for the Ukraine crisis, and that the international community needs to play a constructive role," China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Monday.
Wang also rejected reports that the U.S. State Department had found Chinese-made ammunition in Ukraine.
"It is the U.S., not China, that has been sending weapons to the battlefields in Ukraine. The U.S. needs to stop fuelling the fight with more weaponry and fanning the flame, stop pointing fingers at other countries or seeking to coerce and intimidate them, and play a constructive role," Wang said.
"President Xi's visit is a trip for friendship, a trip for co-operation and a trip for peace."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2023.
IN DEPTH
Special rapporteur Johnston rejects call to 'step aside' after majority of MPs vote for him to resign
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.

NDP MP wants 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's powers
A New Democrat MP is trying to convince his colleagues to change the rules that govern the House of Commons in a series of ways he says would instill 'democratic controls' on the prime minister's 'unfettered' powers.
As it happened: Deal reached between feds, union for 120,000 striking public servants
Monday morning, the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced it had reached a 'tentative' agreement with the federal government for the 120,000 picketing Treasury Board workers who, since April 19, had been engaged in one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. Here's a rundown of the developments from Parliament Hill as they happened.
MPs need to plug legislative 'holes' to address foreign interference before next election: party reps
The House committee studying foreign election interference heard from top 2019 and 2021 Liberal and Conservative campaign directors on Tuesday, with party officials from both camps speaking about the need for politicians to come together to address any "legislative gaps" ahead of the next vote.
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
Opinion
opinion | Don Martin: The lessons for Pierre Poilievre from the Alberta election
Danielle Smith's win in the Alberta election hands her the most starkly divided province confronting any premier in Canada, writes commentator Don Martin.

Opinion | Don Martin: David Johnston's reputation is but a smouldering ruin
Special rapporteur David Johnston didn't recommend public inquiry knowing it was a pathetically insufficient response for a foreign democratic assault of this magnitude, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: Passport furor foreshadows a dirty-tricks campaign where perceptions will be reality
To frame a few new illustrations on pages tucked inside a passport as proof of a Liberal plot to purge the Canadian historical record seems like a severe stretch, writes Don Martin in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca.
opinion | Don Martin: The stunning fall of the once-promising Marco Mendicino
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is a bright former federal prosecutor, who was destined to be a star in Justin Trudeau's cabinet. But in an opinion column on CTVNews.ca, Don Martin argues Mendicino has taken a stunning fall from grace, stumbling badly on important issues just 18 months into the job.
opinion | Don Martin: In the battle for Alberta, it's Smith versus her mouth
It's the most peculiar of elections with the frontrunner and her main opponent being the same person, writes columnist Don Martin. 'In the looming Alberta showdown, it's Premier Danielle Smith versus her mouth.'
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Liberals unveil plan to make hybrid House of Commons sittings permanent
Government House Leader Mark Holland unveiled Thursday the federal Liberals’ plans to make hybrid sittings in House of Commons a permanent feature.

4 very young children critically wounded in knife attack in French Alpine town
As bystanders screamed for help, a man with a knife stabbed four young children at a lakeside park in the French Alps on Thursday, assaulting at least one in a stroller repeatedly. The children between 22 months and 3 years old suffered life-threatening injuries, and two adults also were wounded, authorities said.
'Canada dry': Climatologist Dave Phillips foresees hot, dry summer countrywide
The hot, dry conditions that are fuelling wildfires countrywide are just the beginning of what summer could look like in Canada this year, according to Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips.
Government policy tells CRTC to exclude social media users from online streaming bill
The federal government is telling Canada's broadcasting regulator to exclude individual social media creators in the regulations to implement the government's new online streaming law.
Wildfire battles continue under heat, air quality alerts over most of Canada
The battle against hundreds of wildfires continues, as almost every jurisdiction in Canada remains under either heat or air quality warnings from the federal government. The day after what was supposed to be national Clean Air Day, dozens of alerts remain in place for unseasonable heat or smoky air quality.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires forecast to reach Norway
Norwegian officials said the smoke from Canadian wildfires that has enveloped parts of the U.S. and Canada in a thick haze is expected to pour into Norway on Thursday.
Trans, non-binary students under 16 in N.B. need parental consent for pronoun changes
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
Shannen Doherty reveals cancer has spread to her brain
Actress Shannen Doherty is letting her social media followers in on the spread of her breast cancer.
Pat Robertson, U.S. broadcaster who helped make religion central to Republican Party politics, dies at 93
Pat Robertson, a religious broadcaster who turned a tiny Virginia station into the global Christian Broadcasting Network, tried a run for president and helped make religion central to Republican Party politics in America through his Christian Coalition, has died.