By Canadian Press

Liberal minister touts trade, criticizes Tories’ record on Ukraine in Prairie tour

Jan 17, 2024 | 3:35 PM

OTTAWA — Trade Minister Mary Ng is touring the Prairie provinces to speak with Ukrainian community and business leaders this week as Liberals accuse Conservatives of turning their backs on the war-torn country.

Ng is making stops in Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg — three cities that have large Ukrainian diaspora populations — to tout the Liberal government’s work to modernize its trade deal with Ukraine.

“When Ukraine wins the war, Canadian businesses want to be there to be part of the rebuild effort, and this agreement means that our businesses and exporters of all sizes have a framework to do so,” Ng said in a statement.

The tour follows the Liberals’ recent newspaper ad campaign in 18 Conservative-held ridings in the Prairies, which accused Tories of abandoning Ukraine because they voted against a bill to implement the updated deal.

While the Conservatives have repeatedly voiced support for Ukraine, leader Pierre Poilievre has said they opposed the bill because of language in the trade deal that says both countries will promote carbon pricing. 

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Ukraine already has a price on carbon in place, and officials have said nothing in the deal binds them to that policy. 

“It’s disheartening to see Conservative politicians playing politics with Ukraine, but I can assure you, our government will stand with Ukraine every day until they win the war,” Ng said.

The Conservatives didn’t respond to a request for comment. 

Ukraine’s ambassador and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress have called on Poilievre to support the modernized trade deal, and the Liberals have seized on the issue since the Tories first voted against the bill in November. 

In December, Conservative MPs voted against more than 100 spending measures during a marathon vote that delayed House of Commons proceedings, which they billed as a protest against carbon pricing. 

Conservative MPs opposed all manner of government spending during the 30-hour voting session.

But Liberals took pains to point out that that included funding for Operation Unifier, a Canadian Armed Forces program that has trained more than 39,000 Ukrainian military and security personnel in battlefield tactics and advanced military skills. 

The Prairie newspaper ads targeting the Conservatives linked the party to far-right politicians in the United States. 

While support for Ukraine has historically been strong on Capitol Hill, the persistent flow of U.S. military and government aid has been falling out of favour with some Republican lawmakers, as well as some Americans.

Ng’s effort to double down on the message the Tories are offside comes as the Conservatives maintain a substantial polling edge over the minority Liberals. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears to be making the point to his Ukrainian counterpart, too. 

Last month, when Trudeau spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he reaffirmed Canada’s determination to support Ukraine with military, humanitarian, financial and other assistance for as long as necessary, his office said.

When asked if Trudeau spoke to Zelenskyy about Parliament’s split over the trade deal, the Prime Minister’s Office pointed to an interview published in the Toronto Star this week. 

“The fact that the Canadian Parliament is no longer unequivocally and unanimously standing with Ukraine because of decisions Pierre Poilievre has taken — that is something that I think worries people around the world,” Trudeau told the newspaper. 

When pressed by the Star on whether the Ukrainian president had mentioned it, Trudeau said: “He’s certainly aware of it. Yes.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2024. 

Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press