Honourable senators, today some of us met with the delegation from Ukraine who are here working on improving mental health and mental health care for those who live in Ukraine. Let me tell you we were really impressed. They can learn from us, but we can learn from them.

Russia’s war on Ukraine, now in its third year, is an invasion of a sovereign state by a member of the UN Security Council in direct contravention of the international rule of law. It is supported by autocratic, kleptocratic regimes such as China, Iran and North Korea, which see Western failure to effectively respond as an invitation to join in. The atrocities perpetrated upon innocent civilians include rape, torture and murder, as well as the bombing of homes, schools, hospitals and places of worship. Today we learned that schools are being built in Ukraine underground to protect the students.

There is the famous “double tap” perfected by Russia in Syria, where a hospital is bombed and then, when the first responders arrive to save lives, they are killed by a second strike. This is happening while some Western nations wring their hands about escalation and demand that Ukraine not use the weapons it has to properly defend itself.

I have family in Ukraine. They live in fear of the nocturnal attacks. They worry that Russia will strike one or more nuclear reactors. They dread the upcoming winter and the loss of power — no water, no heat and no lights. They worry that when their children go to school, they may not come home, or if they do, there may be no home for them to come back to.

Colleagues, can you imagine what toll this unrelenting uncertainty has on mental health? Add to that the grief from losing friends and family. Add to that the wounds, visible and invisible, of those who have been fighting. Add to that the theft of children and their forceful removal to Russia. Add to that the realization that some in the West actually support Putin and his megalomaniac dreams of a genetically pure Russian empire and seem willing to abandon Ukraine in its hour of need.

Colleagues, I am often asked how to best intervene to improve the mental health outcomes in Ukraine, and I have one answer: End the war rapidly. Give Ukraine the military supplies and the tactical green light it needs to do so.

What we need now is Ukraine’s victory over Russia. As Canadians, let’s do all that we can to make this happen as quickly as possible.

D’akuju. Thank you.