Ukrainian Canadian Congress calls on Canada to lead effort to oust Russia from G20
Ukrainian Canadian Congress calls on Canada to lead effort to oust Russia from G20
Ukrainian Canadian Congress calls on Canada to lead effort to oust Russia from G20
OTTAWA -
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress wants Canada to up the pressure on Vladimir Putin's regime and lead a global charge to get Russia expelled from the G20.
Congress president Alexandra Chyczij has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to take steps to expel Russia from the forum of leading world economies.
Chyczij said Russia is using the G20 as a platform to lie about its reasons for invading Ukraine.
The congress is concerned that if Putin is allowed to attend the G20 heads of state and government meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in November it would send the wrong message and undermine the G20's credibility.
It would also make it difficult for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the summit as a guest.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly will attend the G20 meeting of foreign ministers in Indonesia this week, even though her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov is also expected to attend.
Joly told The Canadian Press that she would not shake Lavrov's hand and plans to use the opportunity to call out Russian lies about the invasion.
In March, Joly joined others in walking out of a United Nations meeting in Geneva when Lavrov, whom Canada had brought sanctions against days earlier, began speaking.
In her letter, Chyczij pointed out that the Canadian Parliament has declared that Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine.
Because of this, and the government's policy of isolating the Russian Federation from the international community, the congress said Canada should lead the process of expelling Russia from the G20.
In 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he wanted leaders to expel Russia from the G8 group of industrialized nations after its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. After Russia's membership was suspended indefinitely, the remaining nations became known as the G7.
Chyczij said Canada should "demonstrate the same bold leadership in calling for the removal of Russia from the G20."
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Joly and other ministers have refused to share the floor when Russia speaks at summits.
In March, Joly joined others in walking out of a United Nations meeting in Geneva when Lavrov, whom Canada had brought sanctions against days earlier, began speaking.
In April, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland joined a walkout of a G20 meeting for finance ministers and central bank governors in Washington in protest over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In May, International Trade Minister Mary Ng joined her counterparts from the United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand in leaving an APEC meeting in Bangkok when the Russian representative began to speak.
In an interview after the walkout, Ng said it would not be a "one-off" and she would be prepared to do it again.
Last week, Trudeau said Canada would take part in the G20 leaders' meeting in November even if Putin goes, too, arguing it is important to counteract the voice Russia will have at that table.
Canada's attendance alongside Russia in Indonesia creates a diplomatic predicament at the G20, including at this week's summit for foreign ministers in Bali.
Joly recently said it was unacceptable for a Canadian official to attend a reception hosted by the Russian Embassy in Ottawa.
And Russian's foreign minister has been one of the most vocal proponents of the invasion and Putin's justifications.
Orest Zakydalsky, senior policy adviser for the congress, urged Joly and other foreign ministers to walk out of the G20 if Lavrov speaks.
"There is nothing to be gained from sitting and listening to a liar trying to justify Putin's war," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2022.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair and RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki took turns Monday denying pressuring the RCMP, or interfering in the police investigation into the Nova Scotia mass shooting, saying that their approaches were appropriate and warranted, given the unprecedented nature of the situation.
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's inflation rate is set to remain 'painfully high' for the rest of the year. In an exclusive interview with CTV News, Macklem says the path to a 'soft' economic landing is 'narrowing' but at this point the central bank is not projecting a recession.
Five months ago, the first 'Freedom Convoy' trucks rolled into Ottawa. After the federal government took the unprecedented step of invoking the Emergencies Act to end the protests, a series of inquiries and probes have been initiated. With the nation's capital bracing for more protests over the Canada Day weekend, CTVNews.ca takes a look at where the main commissions and studies stand.
Now that the House and Senate have adjourned for the summer, CTVNews.ca breaks down what key pieces of legislation passed in the final days of the spring session, and what key government bills will be left to deal with in the fall.
The Conservative Party leadership race is well underway as contenders hold rallies, duke it out in debates, and slowly release more details of their policy platforms. Here's a snapshot of where the five candidates stand on the economy, housing, climate, defence and social issues.
'After a weeks-long survey of just about everyone I've met ... the overall judgment on Justin Trudeau is one of being a political write-off,' writes Don Martin in an opinion column for CTVNews.ca. 'He’s too woke, too precious, preachy in tone, exceedingly smug, lacking in leadership, fading in celebrity, slow to act, short-sighted in vision and generally getting more irritating with every breathlessly whispered public pronouncement,' Martin writes.
It's time for the whiners to win and the government to reopen the skies, a return to those glory times of flying when the biggest complaints were expensive parking, a middle seat and stale pretzels, commentator Don Martin writes in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
In an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says Doug Ford coasted to majority re-election victory in Ontario by sticking to the middle of the road: 'Not too progressive. Not too conservative.'
There's a lesson for Canada's political leaders in the short life and quick death of Jason Kenney as premier of Alberta, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
It's becoming a make-or-break week for two Conservative premiers as their futures pivot on a pair of defining moments, writes Don Martin in an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca.
The FBI searched former U.S. president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, people familiar with the matter said Monday.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and senior RCMP officers are defending the national police force's years-long and previously undisclosed use of spyware—capable of remotely accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data—as part of dozens of major investigations.
Federal prosecutors in the United States have accused a Saskatoon woman of faking her own death and that of her son in what they describe as an elaborate scheme to illegally enter the country.
After ambush-style shootings of three Muslim men and the recent killing of a fourth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Muslim community in the city is on edge and fearful.
Sources close to the government's proposed $5.3 billion dental care program say the Liberals are planning a temporary solution that involves giving money directly to patients in order to keep their promise to the NDP while they work on a more permanent answer.
Condolences from Canadian politicians past and present poured out Monday as they learned about the death of Bill Graham, who served as foreign affairs minister when the country decided against joining the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Federal prosecutors in the United States have accused a Saskatoon woman of faking her own death and that of her son in what they describe as an elaborate scheme to illegally enter the country.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante has requested an independent investigation into the abrupt cancellation of the Montreal Pride parade Sunday after meeting with festival organizers Monday evening.
The deputy mayor of a southern Newfoundland town says his community is running out of food as it remains cut off from the rest of the island due to the worst forest fires the province has seen in more than 60 years.
A suspect already in handcuffs has allegedly managed to overpower a Toronto police officer and steal their SUV, sending police on a wild early morning chase that ended with an attempted carjacking.
The white father and son convicted of murder in Ahmaud Arbery's fatal shooting after they chased the 25-year-old Black man through a Georgia neighbourhood were sentenced Monday to life in prison for committing a federal hate crime.
After ambush-style shootings of three Muslim men and the recent killing of a fourth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Muslim community in the city is on edge and fearful.
Although she is best known for her role as Sandy in the blockbuster musical 'Grease,' Olivia Newton-John, who died at the age of 73, had a career that extended far beyond the dramas of Rydell High.
The FBI searched former U.S. president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an investigation into whether he took classified records from the White House to his Florida residence, people familiar with the matter said Monday.
With a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants holding after nearly three days of violence, Gaza's sole power plant resumed operations Monday and Israel began reopening crossings into the territory.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and senior RCMP officers are defending the national police force's years-long and previously undisclosed use of spyware—capable of remotely accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data—as part of dozens of major investigations.
Condolences from Canadian politicians past and present poured out Monday as they learned about the death of Bill Graham, who served as foreign affairs minister when the country decided against joining the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Sources close to the government's proposed $5.3 billion dental care program say the Liberals are planning a temporary solution that involves giving money directly to patients in order to keep their promise to the NDP while they work on a more permanent answer.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is tracking the publicly reported cases of monkeypox across the country, updating the number of confirmed infections in each province and territory on a weekly basis.
A new study has found children who suffer from headache disorders have been experiencing more frequent pain and worse anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Talks to revive Tehran's tattered nuclear accord with world powers in Vienna ended Monday as the parties closed a final text and the Iranian negotiator prepared to return to his capital, diplomats said.
A trunk with its lid left open. A wooden dishware closet, its shelves caved in. Three-legged accent tables topped by decorative bowls. These latest discoveries by archaeologists are enriching knowledge about middle-class lives in Pompeii before Mount Vesuvius' furious eruption buried the ancient Roman city in volcanic debris.
While the peak of the Perseids meteor shower, one of the brightest of the year, may be next week, now may be the best time to see the astronomical event, according to The Weather Network.
Although she is best known for her role as Sandy in the blockbuster musical 'Grease,' Olivia Newton-John, who died at the age of 73, had a career that extended far beyond the dramas of Rydell High.
Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Monday that each side is shelling Europe's biggest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Russia claimed that Ukrainian shelling caused a power surge and fire and forced staff to lower output from two reactors, while Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for storing weapons there.
A Metro Vancouver shelter held what it called a 'pity party' for a dog who's been waiting to be adopted for more than a year - the first dog at the facility to wait that long in about even years.
The recent resignation of Hockey Canada's board chair could be a sign of further departures to come, says Simona Jellinek, a sexual abuse and assault lawyer.
The lone American team in a junior B hockey league based in British Columbia is pulling out of the upcoming season because it can't find enough players vaccinated against COVID-19 to fill its roster.
The new plan to encourage Americans to buy more electric vehicles built in North America, instead of just the United States, has cleared its tallest hurdle, and for the Canadian auto industry, the stakes are enormous.
