Category: Canadian Speaking Tour in the News

The House subcommittee on international human rights will hold a briefing with Oleksandra Matviichuk, chair of the Centre for Civil Liberties. 

At 4:15 p.m., the PM will meet with OLEKSANDRA MATVIICHUK, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and chair of the Center for Civil Liberties.

Elle est lauréate du Nobel de la paix, et elle est chez nous pour demander, entre autre, du soutien militaire. L’Ukrainienne Oleksandra Matviichuk documente les crimes de guerre commis par Moscou depuis le début de l’invasion russe. Cette avocate exhorte le Canada à en faire plus

L’Ukrainienne Oleksandra Matviichuk, lauréate du prix Nobel de la paix, exhorte le Canada et l’Occident d’en faire plus pour son pays, et pas seulement sur le plan militaire. Depuis le début de l’invasion russe, elle compile les crimes de guerre com

MSN Canada

En visite à Ottawa, la lauréate du Nobel de la paix de 2022 Oleksandra Matviichuk a exhorté le Canada à en faire plus.

Valérie Gamache

Publié le 4 juin 2024 à 11 h 00

De passage à Ottawa, la lauréate du prix Nobel de la paix en 2022 Oleksandra Matviichuk croit que le Canada peut et doit en faire davantage pour aider l’Ukraine.

L’avocate ukrainienne a entamé un marathon de sept jours au Canada pour trouver des appuis dans sa quête de traduire immédiatement devant les tribunaux les responsables russes de crimes de guerre en Ukraine.

Un combat qui ne peut pas se faire sans que le Canada augmente son aide militaire, a-t-elle rappelé au premier ministre Justin Trudeau lors d’une rencontre lundi.

Le problème est que pour garantir les droits de l’homme et obtenir justice, nous devons survivre […]. Et sans armes, nous ne pourrons pas nous défendre, a-t-elle déclaré.

Pour défendre les droits de l’homme en Ukraine, nous avons besoin de soutien militaire.Une citation de Oleksandra Matviichuk, lauréate du prix Nobel de la paix en 2022

Depuis le début de l’invasion russe, Oleksandra Matviichuk s’affaire à documenter les crimes de guerre qui surviennent aux quatre coins de son pays (nouvelle fenêtre). Elle estime à 72 000 le nombre d’épisodes de crimes commis en un peu plus de deux ans.

Ce ne sont pas que des nombres, ce sont 72 000 histoires humaines, insiste-t-elle en entrevue à Radio-Canada. Et elle ne veut pas attendre la fin du conflit pour permettre à ces victimes d’obtenir justice.

Mme Matviichuk milite pour la création d’un tribunal spécial qui agirait de façon parallèle à la Cour pénale internationale (CPI) et qui traduirait immédiatement en justice les responsables de crimes de guerre. Selon elle, il faut changer d’approche et ne plus attendre la fin des conflits pour juger les criminels.

Nous ne pouvons pas attendre. Nous devons établir ce nouveau tribunal maintenant et tenir responsables les auteurs de ces agressions dès maintenant, plaide la militante des droits de la personne.

Nous avons besoin du poids du Canada pour convaincre les autres pays que le moment est venu.Une citation de Oleksandra Matviichuk, lauréate du prix Nobel de la paix en 2022

L’histoire de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale ne peut pas se répéter, ajoute-t-elle. Les criminels nazis ont été jugés seulement après l’effondrement du régime nazi. Nous vivons dans un nouveau siècle et la justice ne doit pas dépendre de l’endroit et du moment où la guerre se termine, estime-t-elle.

Une vie transformée par la guerre

Née sous le régime soviétique, l’avocate de 40 ans a commencé à pratiquer le droit après l’indépendance de l’Ukraine. Rien n’indiquait alors qu’elle allait consacrer sa carrière à documenter des crimes commis par le régime russe.

Pourtant, aujourd’hui, elle n’a qu’un objectif : tenir Vladimir Poutine responsable des agressions commises en territoire ukrainien. Je n’étais pas préparée pour cela, mais vous ne pouvez jamais être préparée, dit-elle.

Elle est maintenant à la tête du Centre pour les libertés civiles de l’Ukraine, dont le travail de documentation des crimes de guerre mené par l’organisation lui a valu le prix Nobel en 2022 (nouvelle fenêtre). Un symbole fort qui lui donne maintenant directement accès aux décideurs.

Avant, nous étions entendus dans les comités de l’ONU, mais pas dans les hautes sphères de pouvoir où les décisions politiques étaient prises , affirme-t-elle.

Et elle ne ménage pas ses efforts pour porter son message. Lors de sa tournée d’une semaine au Canada, elle compte multiplier les visites politiques et diplomatiques et enchaîner les levées de fonds à Ottawa, Toronto, Montréal et Winnipeg.

Cela est important non seulement pour l’Ukraine, mais pour tout le monde afin de prévenir le pire. Nous devons punir l’État et les dirigeants. C’est d’une logique évidente, conclut-elle.

ICI Radio-Canada

Hello,

The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada sent a warning today about the risks elected officials run by reacting to decisions from the court without first reading the rulings themselves.

Richard Wagner said he is concerned about the spread of false information on court rulings – and politicians criticizing rulings based in part on which judge delivered them.

“It is one thing to express disagreement with a decision,” he said during his annual news conference on the work of the top court and other matters pertaining to the administration of justice.

“But it is another thing altogether to criticize it because of who the judge is or how they were appointed. Comments like this undermine public confidence in the justice system.”

Full story here.

BREAKING: The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians has this afternoon issued a special report on foreign interference in Canada’s democratic processes and institutions, available here. Please watch The Globe and Mail for coverage.

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TODAY’S HEADLINES

AFN national chief criticizes governments’ inaction on fifth anniversary of MMIWG report: Only two of the more than 150 calls to action in the national inquiry’s report into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls have been implemented since 2019, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says.

Elenore Sturko leaves BC United party for Conservatives to ‘defeat the NDP’: Another BC United member has left the former BC Liberal party to join the Conservative Party of BC just months before the provincial election. Sturko, a former Mountie, talks here to The Orcaabout her decision.

Caregivers from abroad to be given permanent residence upon arrival under new pilot programs: The pilots, which are enhanced versions of two programs set to expire June 17, will put qualified nannies, child-care and home-support workers on a fast track to settling in Canada.

Ottawa creates $530-million fund to help cities adapt to climate change: Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the plan today that will enable local governments to apply for as much as $1-million to help cover adaptation project costs and as much as $70,000 for risk assessments and feasibility studies.

Detox beds in B.C. routinely sit empty because of staff shortages: In the Vancouver region, this has meant that up to half of the spaces at 24- and 18-bed withdrawal-management facilities remain unoccupied at times despite long lists of people waiting, according to the data, which covers the past several weeks.

Trudeau pitches strong ties to Mexico’s new leader, Claudia Sheinbaum, amid U.S. tumult: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he wants to work with Mexico’s next president on climate change, international security, gender equality and reconciliation with indigenous peoples. Story here.

Voting to decide next leader of Alberta’s New Democratic Party begins today: Nearly 85,150 party members are eligible to vote for the new leader, succeeding Rachel Notley, who will be named June 22.

Nearly half of the federal government’s office space could be converted into housing, expert firm says: The architectural firmGensler, which has analyzed hundreds of buildings in more than 150 North American cities and worked with Canadian jurisdictions, including the federal government, said a significant share of the federal office portfolio has characteristics that make it suitable for conversion.

Pierre Poilievre disagrees with Conservative MP who wants to vote against same-sex marriage: CBC reports that in a statement today, the federal Conservative leader noted that same-sex marriage is legal and will remain legal if he becomes prime minister.

TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES

“In a democracy, we accept and even desire that court decisions will be the topic of debates, but it is important that these debates take place in a respectful manner and, above all, in an informed manner. People should, at the very least, read court decisions before criticizing them.” – Richard Wagner, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, at his annual news conference in Ottawa today.

“You only have to be caught lying once for people to know you engage in that behaviour.” – Health Minister Mark Holland during a news conference at Parliament Hill today.

THIS AND THAT

Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, June 3, accessible here,

Deputy Prime Minister’s Day: Private meetings, and Chrystia Freeland attended Question Period.

Ministers on the Road: In Vancouver, Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced $3.5-million in funding and other measures in Vancouver to protect Southern Resident killer whales. In the Northern Saskatchewan town of La Ronge, Rural Development Minister Gudie Hutchings made an announcement about improving connectivity in rural parts of the province. Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks, in Toronto, made an announcement about youth mental-health research.

Commons Committee Highlights: Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux appeared before the finance committee on Bill C-69 to implement certain provisions of the federal budget. The justice committee heard witnesses on Islamophobia and measures to address fears expressed by the Muslim community. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh appeared before the industry committee on Bill C-352, a private member’s bill he has advanced to deal with grocery prices with measures that include amending the Competition Act to increase penalties for certain anti-competitive practices.

Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu and Housing Minister Sean Fraser appeared before the Indigenous and northern affairs committee on reports by the Auditor-General of Canada on housing in Indigenous communities. The foreign-affairs committee was scheduled to hear witnesses this afternoon on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the current situation in Iran.

Senate Committee Highlights: Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, is among the witnesses appearing before a 4 p.m. ET hearing of the human-rights committee. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux appears before the national-security committee, also at 4 p.m.

Rankin exiting politics: Former NDP MP Murray Rankin, now British Columbia’s Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister, has announced in a posting on X that he is leaving politics. The former University of Victoria law professor, who was the MP for Victoria from 2012 to 2019, was first elected to the B.C. Legislature for the Victoria-area riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head in 2020.

PRIME MINISTER’S DAY

In Ottawa, Justin Trudeau was scheduled to meet with the president of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council, Salvatore Sciacchitano, and Juan Carlos Salazar, the secretary-general of the International Civil Aviation Organization. Later, Trudeau met with Oleksandra Matviichuk, chairwoman of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was honoured with a Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Matviichuk is on a speaking tour of Canada.

LEADERS

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May participated virtually in the House of Commons. In Toronto, May opened the campaign office for Green Party byelection candidate Christian Cullis in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh appeared before the industry committee, later made remarks on the pharmacare act and took media questions. He later participated in Question Period.

No schedules released for Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet or Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

THE DECIBEL

Jeff Gray, one of The Globe’s Ontario politics reporters, talks about a new policy outlined by Premier Doug Ford to make beer and wine available for purchase in convenience stores and big-box stores across the province. The Decibel is here.

PUBLIC OPINION

New poll suggests stark divide on federal return-to-office plan: CBC reports that a survey of 1,000 Gatineau residents found that 62 per cent of respondents who do not work for the federal public service back a move to have federal public servants work three days a week in their offices, up from two days.

OPINION

Another drug treatment plan falls short

“British Columbia Premier David Eby promised his government would not abandon people with drug addictions when he rolled back decriminalization in the province. There would be better, more consistent care for people who are addicted to drugs, he said, including overdose-prevention services and addictions specialists attached to every major hospital.” – The Globe and Mail Editorial Board.

This social media prognosticator channels the angst of a housing-challenged generation

“Millennial Moron is a self-appointedhousing prognosticator who, with his dry wit and dour analysis of Canadian indebtedness, is more than a comedic content creator. He’s a voice of his generation. He first rose to social media prominence a year ago for videos showing the absurdity of modest Canadian properties selling for around the same price as European castles or private Caribbean islands. He’s graduated to explaining Bank of Canada moves and his worries about the country entering a period of Japanese-style stagflation.” – Kelly Cryderman

Why has Toronto let Queen’s Park (the actual park, that is) fall into such disrepair?

“Queen’s Park is everyone’s shorthand for the government of Ontario, which has its headquarters in the grand Legislative Building there. Queen’s Park did this, Queen’s Park said that. But Queen’s Park is also, well, a park, and a lovely one at that.” – Marcus Gee.

Which way, Canada? Make housing cheaper or protect homeowners’ investments?

“Federal housing policy – the number one government priority in Budget 2024 – is unequivocal in its approach: supply, supply, supply. And rightly so. But the ultimate goal is not clear. In a recent interview with The Globe and Mail’s City Space podcast, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau stated that “in the coming years … [young generations] will be able to see the path towards owning a home.” – David Jones.

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WINNIPEG — The head of a Nobel Peace Prize winning Ukrainian organization says she is thankful Canada is helping her country fight.

Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which won the prestigious international award in 2022, for what the Nobel committee called its “outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power,” said the ongoing war isn’t just between Ukraine and Russia.

“This is not just a war between states,” Matviichuk said Sunday before a tour of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg.

“This is a war between two systems: authoritarianism and democracy. With this war, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin attempts to convince the entire world that democracy, rule of law and human rights are fake values … If Putin succeeds, it will encourage other authoritarian leaders, in different parts of the world, to do the same.

“We can find ourselves in a world which will be dangerous for everyone, without any exception.”

The Center for Civil Liberties was founded in 2007 and began pushing authorities to make sure Ukraine became a full-fledged democracy that followed the rules of law.

After Russia unilaterally annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, it began to document cases of unlawful imprisonment of citizens and, since Russian forces crossed the Ukrainian border in 2022, it has documented war crimes by Russian soldiers against the civilian population.

Victor Hetmanczuk, chairman of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, has said the organization’s work “cataloging war crimes is essential and will constitute a critical part of the Nuremburg trials against Kremlin officials once this war is over.”

Matviichuk said: “Russia has never been punished. Russia believes they can do whatever they want … We must hold Putin and top political leadership and high ministry (accountable).

“If we are not able to stop Putin in Ukraine, he will go further. Russia is an empire … empires always try to expand. And that is why, it is not just a question for Ukraine how to stop Putin, this is our common goal and we have to achieve this goal together.”

Since arriving in Canada on June 3, Matviichuk has given speeches and held private meetings in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg with politicians and senior government officials, including federal Justice Minister Arif Virani.

The speaking tour was to raise awareness of war crimes committed in Ukraine.

Matviichuk spoke at a fundraising gala in Winnipeg on Saturday, which included a musical performance by Chantal Kreviazuk, and took a tour of the Oseredok Ukrainian community hub and diaspora archive centre.

She laid flowers at the Holodomor monument Sunday.

OTTAWA, ON, June 2, 2024 /CNW/ –

Note: All times local

National Capital Region, Canada

9:00 a.m. The Prime Minister will attend a flag raising ceremony on Parliament Hill and deliver remarks to mark the start of Pride Season. The Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Marci Ien, will also be in attendance.

Notes for media:

• Open coverage
• Media wishing to cover the event must be accredited with the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery.

3:30 p.m. The Prime Minister will host a meeting with the President of the International Civil Aviation Organization Council, Salvatore Sciacchitano, and the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization, Juan Carlos Salazar. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, and the Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant, Pablo Rodriguez, will also be in attendance.

Note for media:

• Pooled photo opportunity

4:15 p.m. The Prime Minister will host a meeting with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Chairwoman of the Center for Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matviichuk. 

Note for media:

• Pooled photo opportunity

The Prime Minister will speak with the President-elect of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum.

SOURCE Prime Minister’s Office

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke in Ottawa with Ukrainian human rights defender, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviychuk.

Trudeau wrote about the meeting on X.

“Oleksandra Matviichuk is a proud Ukrainian who is dedicating her life to defending civil liberties in her homeland and abroad.  Our conversation was a powerful reminder that our rights and freedoms are never a guarantee. They are hard-fought for and protected by brave people like her,” said the head of the Canadian government.

As reported earlier, Oleksandra Matviichuk is a Ukrainian human rights activist, head of the Center for Civil Liberties NGO, laureate of the Vasyl Stus and Defender of Democracy awards.

She was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Matviichuk works on the issue of human rights in Ukraine and the OSCE region.

This week, Matviichuk launched a tour across Canada, where she will hold meetings in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and Winnipeg.

Photo: x.com/JustinTrudeau