Honourable senators, I rise today to mark the second anniversary of Russia’s illegal and egregious invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. I also wish to acknowledge the killing of Alexei Navalny, the brave and dedicated opposition leader and voice against the injustice and corruption of Vladimir Putin’s revanchist regime. Because of his ceaseless activism to better his country for his family and fellow Russians, Navalny was killed by Putin and the Russian state. That Navalny was killed is a testament to his impact.

I attended the recent Munich Security Conference where, on February 16, Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, stood before us shortly after the world learned of her husband’s murder. Ms. Navalnaya’s brave message was clear: Putin and his cronies “will be brought to justice, and this day will come soon.”

In recent years, February has become a significant month in the bloody history between Ukraine and Russia. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine again after its previous February invasion in 2014 that resulted in Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea on March 18 of that year. On February 16 of this year, we learned of Navalny’s killing in a Russian prison, and on February 27, 2015, another noted opposition leader and fierce Kremlin critic, Boris Nemtsov, was assassinated in Moscow.

The deaths of these activists — and the killings and attempted murders of others — further exacerbate the human toll of Russia’s longstanding aggression toward Ukraine. I know we all share concern for the health and safety of our friend Vladimir Kara-Murza imprisoned in Russia since 2022.

Colleagues, after attending the Munich Security Conference, I participated, along with our colleague Senator Wells, in the Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna. While the tone was dark, reflecting the sombre state of world affairs, I can attest to the palpable sense of solidarity among global leaders to bring an end to the war in Ukraine and to Putin’s reign.

A sustainable Ukrainian victory relies on two principles: first, ensuring that Ukraine has all it needs to defeat Russia on the battlefield; and second, a viable plan to rebuild Ukraine to ensure its prosperity and security after the fighting stops. As the war grinds into its third year, Russia is counting on Western support for Ukraine to decline. I know that Canada, for one, will continue to stand with Ukraine on all fronts.

Colleagues, as I said in my statements in the hours after the invasion in 2022 and on its first anniversary last year, Canada, and all democracies around the world, must remain united in both condemning and opposing Russia’s actions and in our steadfast support for Ukraine and its strong, resilient people. On that, we must not falter. Thank you.