Canada sending $100M in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, prohibiting Russian ships
The Canadian government is sending an additional $100 million in humanitarian assistance to help Ukrainians, and as of later this week Russian ships will be prohibited from entering Canadian ports and internal waterways in response to Vladimir Putin’s continued unprovoked attacks on Ukraine.
Building on Canada’s shipments of lethal and non-lethal equipment to Ukraine, in a later press conference Defence Minister Anita Anand announced that in addition to sending anti-tank weapons systems, upgraded ammunition, and defence equipment such as body armour and night-vision tools, Canada will also be sending 1,600 fragmentation vests and approximately 400,000 individual meal packs.
“Like many Canadians, I woke up this morning to more disturbing images of what is happening in Ukraine right now. In particular, the bombardment of residential areas, killing families and children in Kharkiv, and a massive column of Russian tanks approaching Kiev. To know that civilians, children, and families’ lives are being taken is even more horrific,” Anand said, adding that Canada is leaving “no stone unturned” in supporting Ukraine.
“It is absolutely shocking to see Putin use the military equipment that Russia has at its disposal to kill innocent people. And it is important to recognize that all of the countries that stand with Ukraine and that are participating in this effort—Canada included—have much to bring to the table in terms of supplies, and support, and fortitude. We will keep working hard for the people of Ukraine, and for the sovereignty of Ukraine in coordination with our NATO allies.”
Off the table for now, according to Anand, is enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, while Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland vows more economic sanctions are coming.
$100M MORE IN AID
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a statement that the $100 million will help “respond to immediate needs arising from the Ukraine crisis.”
This includes emergency health services like trauma care; support for displaced populations; as well as shelter, water, food, and sanitation supplies.
It will be going to what Global Affairs Canada is calling “experienced partners” to address the pressing on the ground needs in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Sajjan said the government is still working with organizations and other countries to coordinate how the aid will be dispersed.
“I can't stop thinking about the impact of this unjustifiable aggression… Classrooms have been replaced by bomb shelters. Playgrounds have become battlefields. Beds have become the hard ground,” said Sajjan.
“We continue to show that the world stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our Ukrainian friends in the face of Vladimir Putin’s naked, territorial aggression.”
The latest aid commitment follows a previous federal pledge to send Ukraine $25 million for humanitarian supports.
“The lives of the children of Ukraine have been thrown into chaos. Their classrooms have been replaced by bomb shelters. Their playgrounds have become battlefields. Their beds have become the hard ground,” said Sajjan in the statement.
BLOCKING RUSSIAN SHIPS
Cabinet colleague and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra also announced Tuesday that, effective later this week through a special economic measure order, Canada is banning Russian-owned or registered ships and fishing vessels from entering Canadian ports and internal waters.
“Russia must be held accountable for its aggression in Ukraine. Canada will continue to do what is necessary to respond,” said Alghabra in a statement.
Speaking with reporters following the cabinet meeting, Alghabra said that while there are not often many Russian ships entering Canadian waters, it is a step being taken in alignment with other countries and together, it “will have an impact.” He said officials will monitor for any supply chain consequences.
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Joyce Murray said in the same statement that the Canadian Coast Guard and its members will play a role in helping to enforce this new order.
MPS WANT VISA REQUIREMENTS LIFTED
In the House of Commons, opposition leaders continue to call on the federal government to expel Russia’s ambassador from Canada, and recall Canada’s ambassador to Russia. There’s also been a concerted cross-party push among opposition MPs to see Canada drop visa requirements for Ukrainians wanting to come to Canada.
“Canada has to do everything we can in our power to support people in need. One of the things we can do is to support Ukrainians who are seeking refuge in Canada. So will the prime minister commit to a simple, straightforward, barrier-free process for Ukrainians who are seeking solace and refuge in Canada?” asked NPD Leader Jagmeet Singh during question period on Tuesday.
So far, the federal government has said it is continuing to look at options for further immigration and consular supports, with Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser telling reporters on Monday that additional measures are coming soon.
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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.
Local Spotlight
'Love has no boundaries': Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
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.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
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.