Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Issue No. 64 - Evidence - Meeting of May 16, 2019
OTTAWA, Thursday, May 16, 2019
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade met this day at 10:32 a.m. to study foreign relations and international trade generally (topic: update on the presidential elections in Ukraine); and, in camera, to study the impact and utilization of Canadian culture and arts in Canadian foreign policy and diplomacy, and other related matters (consideration of a draft report).
Senator A. Raynell Andreychuk (Chair) in the chair.
[English]
The Chair: Welcome to this meeting of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Before we proceed to our witness, I’m going to ask the senators to introduce themselves.
[Translation]
Senator Dawson: Senator Dennis Dawson from Quebec.
Senator Saint-Germain: Raymonde Saint-Germain from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Busson: Bev Busson, British Columbia.
Senator Dean: Tony Dean, Ontario.
The Chair: I’m going to introduce Senator Greene, who stepped aside for a moment. I am Raynell Andreychuk from Saskatchewan.
The committee is authorized to examine such issues as may arise from time to time relating to foreign relations and international trade generally. As part of this mandate, the committee is pleased to continue its short study on the 2019 presidential election in Ukraine. The committee has heard from academics and experts. We have heard what they believe are some of the consequences of the presidential elections, what Canada might expect for the region as well as Ukraine and Canada’s foreign policy.
We are very pleased that we can now follow-up again with Global Affairs. We have before us Alison LeClaire, Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs at Global Affairs Canada. Thank you for accepting our invitation. We fully understood that the minister was travelling there, so it would give you a better debriefing here today than last week. We’re looking forward to your presentation and the usual questions. Welcome to the committee.
Alison LeClaire, Senior Arctic Official and Director General, Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs, Global Affairs Canada: Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Senators, it’s a pleasure to be with you again and to provide what updates and insights I can provide you on the presidential elections now that they have passed. I will keep my opening remarks brief so we have more time for questions and discussion.
I’d like to start by discussing the election process itself. As you know, we have committed funds to facilitate projects to support fair, transparent and legitimate democratic elections in Ukraine. As part of this assistance, Canadian observers were sent to Ukraine, both through a Canadian elections observation mission, an EOM, led by the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, as well as through the election observation mission organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE. In addition and separately, a number of Canadian parliamentarians were also on the ground as part of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Overall, the election observation missions reported that the elections were free and fair, and met international standards, a great achievement as the insurgency in Eastern Europe continues, backed by Russia. It is a testament to the progress Ukraine has made in the past few years.
The elections were competitive, the campaign was peaceful and election day was well organized. That gives you a summation of our assessment of what we saw in the two rounds of the presidential election.
The election observation missions reported some relatively minor negative points. Examples include the difficulty for internally displaced persons, Ukrainians living in Russia-occupied Crimea and other non-government-controlled parts of the Donbas to cast their vote, as well as some indications of misuse of state resources and vote-buying schemes. There is no suggestion that these were of a sufficient scale or scope to affect the results of the election.
[Translation]
The official election results were announced by the Central Election Commission on April 30. Volodymyr Zelenskiy won a landslide victory, with more than 73 per cent of the votes, and carried almost every region of Ukraine, except Lvyv in the west. To note, outgoing President Petro Poroshenko won the international vote, including in Canada, with 71.2 per cent of the 1,799 votes.
Prime Minister Trudeau called President-elect Zelenskiy to congratulate him on his election victory, and was one of the first leaders to do so. He also called former President Poroshenko on May 6 and thanked him for the progress achieved by Ukraine under his leadership.
While Mr. Zelenskiy’s campaign platform did not provide in-depth policy proposals, a few points stood out — in particular the need to fight corruption. On Russia, while he expressed a willingness to negotiate with President Putin, he also stressed the need to reboot the Minsk process, and communicated his intention to act within the Normandy format. He also emphasized the return of political prisoners held by Russia.
Mr. Zelensky has not yet determined who will form his administration. However, his public statements and our own engagement with his team indicated that Ukraine’s political orientation — that of a friend and partner committed to Euro-Atlantic reform and integration — has not changed. Of note, some of his current advisors include well-known reformers, such as Oleksandr Danylyuk, a former minister of finance.
Canada, of course, remains steadfast in its commitment to the people of Ukraine. Canada’s comprehensive reform package continues to strengthen the electoral system. Canada also continues to emphasize the importance of including and representing the diverse interests and needs of all Ukrainians, and to empower women to participate in the upcoming parliamentary and local elections, which will influence the results.
Canada encourages the continuation of the reform process grounded in the needs of the Ukrainian people and continues to provide development assistance that remains relevant and flexible.
[English]
As you mentioned, senator, Minister Freeland made a short visit to Kyiv on May 8. I had the privilege of accompanying her, first to the Arctic Council foreign ministers meeting in Finland and then immediately afterward for the day in Kyiv. This was the minister’s first visit to Ukraine since December 2017. She had a full day of meetings and held substantive discussions with President-elect Zelenskiy and some members of his team, as well as with President Poroshenko, Foreign Minister Klimkin, Prime Minister Groysman, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy, reform-oriented members of Parliament and activists.
I will do my best to respond to any questions you may have on this visit. Its principal purpose was to take advantage of the opportunity to congratulate Ukraine on holding free and fair elections and to underline the importance of a smooth transition of power, proof of a healthy democracy.
These meetings also provided an opportunity to discuss the upcoming Ukraine Reform Conference to be held in Toronto from July 2 to 4. The minister underlined the importance of a unified Ukrainian voice on reform and the need to accelerate the pace of reform. Minister Freeland conveyed Canada’s continued support to the people of Ukraine, and for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
I will say a few words about Russia, from the standpoint of the elections, and how it has responded to those elections. We have not seen formal congratulations from Russia directed to the president-elect. On April 24, just days after the presidential elections, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree simplifying the procedure for residents of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics to acquire Russian citizenship. Canada condemns Russia’s decision. We see this as part of Russia’s playbook, indicative of its pattern of destabilizing behaviour in the region.
In the broader region, Russia has been engaged in “passportization” with Georgian citizens in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as Moldovan citizens in Transnistria. Similar to its rhetoric in Crimea and the Donbas, Moscow’s justification for invading Georgia in 2008 was to “protect Russia citizens in South Ossetia.” Mr. Zelenskiy has strongly pushed back against Russia’s decision and underscored that in his meeting with Minister Freeland.
Now a few brief words on what happens next. You may have seen news this morning that the Rada decided to schedule the presidential election on May 20. That’s coming up very quickly. Canada will be pleased to participate. As you can imagine, the department is working very hard to work with the minister and her team to determine our representation.
I will leave it there. I am available to answer any questions you have.
The Chair: Thank you. We will start.
[Translation]
Senator Saint-Germain: Ms. LeClaire, thank you for joining us today. You must be a very busy woman, as Senior Arctic Official and Director General of Arctic, Eurasian and European Affairs; the world almost belongs to you. Your presence here is very much appreciated.
My question is about an important issue that you raised and that I would like you to tell us more about, namely the impact of this election on relations between Ukraine and Russia. More specifically, I am interested in the role that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is and could be playing. As we know, Ukraine’s integration into NATO and the European Union remains a contentious issue between Russia and Ukraine. However, these countries are both members of the OSCE. What role do you think the OSCE could play in resolving the current conflict in the east of the country? In addition, how credible do you think the OSCE has been so far?
Ms. LeClaire: The OSCE, of which Russia is a member, at the moment and with Canada’s contribution, is active in Ukraine in observing the contact line. As an election observer, the OSCE is a very credible player. We expect it to continue to play this role, for example during the October parliamentary election in Ukraine, as well as its role in observing and documenting what is happening on the contact lines.
You may be aware that there is a ceasefire on this very long line of contact, but there are also constant violations on the same line of contact.
The OSCE is a very important source of information for the international committee and it enables it to find out what is happening in the conflict region. It also acts as a platform for dialogue and discussion. In Vienna, there are regular discussions on the situation in Ukraine. It is a platform where, for example, Canada and other nations can articulate their positions and perspectives on the situation. They can express their opposition to Russia’s actions. Sometimes there are proposals for implementing an action plan. It is also a platform for exploring possibilities for mediation or, ideally, for resolving the situation.
Senator Saint-Germain: That fully answers my question, thank you very much.
[English]
Senator Dean: Thank you, Ms. LeClaire. To the extent that you can, in the discussions with the president-elect and reform politicians, can you talk about the sort of support that was requested from Canada, even in general terms? Was additional support on a go-forward basis requested from Canada in terms of the new administration?
Ms. LeClaire: A strong message we heard from the president-elect, the president, the foreign minister and the prime minister was an expression of really deep appreciation for Canada’s engagement and contribution, which is quite comprehensive. That was certainly repeated.
In terms of what we’re doing now and in terms of what we have been doing as we get closer to the Ukraine Reform Conference in July, to the extent I can speak to the meetings that I participated in, the minister had some private tête-à-têtes.
There was no specific ask. Her visit took place with the president-elect, before the inauguration, and at very early days after the election.
There was no specific ask that I heard, but a lot of appreciation for what we’re doing.
The Chair: This is an update. This conference that’s coming up in July, from the past number of elections and new presidents, the expectation would be for reform, Canada’s commitment to support the Minsk process, and to continually maintain the integrity and sovereignty of the Ukraine both in Donbas and Crimea. I presume that will continue.
My concern was also that when we said we supported Ukraine in its struggle to regain its land and sovereignty, we also said it is important to continue the reform development and that Canada would assist as other countries are, in reforming institutions and helping in many ways.
As we saw one president come, another president come, we started as an international community, through IBRD and others, to monitor more closely, to have more of an oversight role to ensure that the reforms are proceeding and that they work well; let’s put it that way. It was always because we had a history of where the presidents were coming from, their activities and everything.
With this new conference, what will be Canada’s position other than saying reforms, et cetera? Will we simply encourage reform or will we note the history and development over 20-some years and say that people should be profiting more from our assistance and that real markers need to be in place to ensure that happens?
Ms. LeClaire: This conference, I would just say — and apologies if I’m telling you what you already know — is the third in a series of annual conferences that have been co-chaired with Ukraine. This one will be, in that sense, no different. We are co-chairing this with Ukraine. The starting point is a shared commitment to support Ukraine in what it is doing on institutional and other reforms. We are looking to make it very much an inclusive set of conversations that aim at identifying where and how reforms are becoming or need to be irreversible.
It will have a ministerial portion. We are looking and working with Ukrainians, civil society, business, academics, parliamentarians, and municipalities to make it very much a whole-Ukraine conversation on how the international community can support the Ukraine government and Ukrainian society achieve the level of democracy, peace and prosperity that they want.
In terms of a new president coming in, as you say, he is not as known a quantity and I think there is —
The Chair: As a president.
Ms. LeClaire: Yes, and I think there are, both within Ukraine and the international community that works with Ukraine, question marks and a lot of keen interest in learning more. What the minister heard in Ukraine is a commitment to Euro-Atlantic orientation, anti-corruption and improving the living conditions of all Ukrainians.
Our hope for the conference in Toronto is that it will be an opportunity to discuss those objectives, ambitions and the way forward, working with this new president, keeping in mind that a lot of the issues under reform are within the remit of Parliament, very much wanting to have an inclusive conversation and looking for ways that perhaps Canada’s experience and the experience of other countries can help Ukraine.
The Chair: The inauguration is on May 20. Is there any indication we will know the composition of the government at that time, the cabinet, et cetera, so we can start looking at the composition, portfolios et cetera. Or were you led to believe it’s just the ceremony and things will happen after, so we would still be wait and see?
Ms. LeClaire: I think it is a mix of both. Some of the portfolios are not in the remit of the president. It is more within the remit of the parliamentary side. Some of the interest is in who will be his immediate team of advisers, and whether he will call or seek early parliamentary elections.
Those are kind of the two questions that people will be looking to hear more about shortly after, if not on the inauguration, shortly after.
The Chair: I will resist asking the question, who will get an invitation in the region? I think you know what I’m talking about. We’ll wait and see who shows from the Russian Federation, if at all. Is that a good read?
Ms. LeClaire: It’s an interesting question, senator. As I said in my remarks, we have no indication there has been a message of congratulations from Russia to the president-elect. As to whether Russia would be invited — he has made public comments about his interest in looking at Minsk, re-energizing Minsk and Normandy format, and the whole question of managing dialogue with Russia. Whether he will see the inauguration as an opportunity to send that particular signal, I think is a very interesting question. I’m afraid I have no insight.
The Chair: Any further questions from senators? If not, thank you very much for updating us and we are looking forward to the inauguration and the days thereafter to see how Ukraine’s new president will conduct himself, how the Rada will, and what Canada’s positions are, whether they need adjusting or not. I think it’s important for our involvement in NATO, our security in Europe, and our bilateral relationships.
I trust you will be back updating us. I trust your title doesn’t get any larger and thank you for coming.
Ms. LeClaire: Thank you very much.
The Chair: Senators, next is the in camera portion of the meeting, but it was not scheduled on a time frame. We were to hear from Global Affairs Canada at 10:30, following which the committee was to go in camera. The notice went out saying that our study on culture would be between 11:00 and 12:30. Do we start the in camera portion now, or do we wait until 11:30?
Senator Dawson: I think we should start.
The Chair: Start our discussion.
We will go in camera.
(The committee continued in camera.)