THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, DEFENCE AND VETERANS AFFAIRS

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

OTTAWA, Monday, June 5, 2023
(32)

[English]

The Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs met this day at 4:02 p.m., in room C128, Senate of Canada Building, the deputy chair, the Honourable Jean-Guy Dagenais, presiding.

Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Anderson, Boisvenu, Cardozo, Dagenais, Dasko, Deacon (Ontario), Oh, Ravalia, Richards and Yussuff (10).

Other senators present: The Honourable Senators Kutcher, Patterson (Ontario) and Petten (3).

Participating in the meeting: Catlin Seibel-Kamél, Legislative Clerk, Chamber Operations and Procedure Office; Ariel Shapiro and Anne-Marie Therrien-Tremblay, analysts, Library of Parliament.

Pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Thursday, February 10, 2022, the committee continued its study on issues relating to national security and defence generally.

WITNESSES:

Embassy of Ukraine to Canada:

Her Excellency Yuliya Kovaliv, Ambassador.

Ukrainian Canadian Congress:

Ihor Michalchyshyn, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director;

Orest Zakydalsky, Senior Policy Advisor (by videoconference).

Global Affairs Canada:

Alison Grant, Executive Director, Security and Defence Relations;

Kati Csaba, Executive Director, Ukraine Bureau.

Department of National Defence:

Major-General Paul Prévost, Director of Staff, Strategic Joint Staff.

As individuals:

Kerry Buck, Former Ambassador of Canada to NATO, and Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa;

Alexander Lanoszka, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute;

General (Retired) Dominique Trinquand, Former Head, French Military Mission to the UN and NATO (by videoconference).

Her Excellency Yuliya Kovaliv and Ihor Michalchyshyn each made a statement and answered questions.

At 5:02 p.m., the committee suspended.

At 5:07 p.m., the committee resumed.

Kerry Buck, Alexander Lanoszka and Dominique Trinquand each made a statement.

At 5:30 p.m., the committee suspended.

At 5:32 p.m., the committee resumed.

Kerry Buck, Alexander Lanoszka and Dominique Trinquand answered questions.

At 6:09 p.m., the committee suspended.

At 6:19 p.m., the committee resumed.

Kati Csaba, Alison Grant and Major-General Paul Prévost each made a statement and answered questions.

At 7:20 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.

ATTEST:

Ericka Dupont

Clerk of the Committee