SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association

Honourable senators, I want to thank Senator Patterson for her thorough encapsulation of our recent visit to Europe. Clearly, it focused on operational issues, and few are better qualified to comment in this area.

I had the privilege of leading the six-member delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association on our visit, so I want to thank the other members included in that delegation. They are Senator Patterson, of course, Senator Brent Cotter and three MPs: the Honourable Pam Damoff, Ms. Viviane Lapointe and Mr. Stéphane Bergeron.

It is difficult to capture in three minutes all that we experienced during our visit to Poland, Estonia and Latvia — countries on the front lines of the war in Ukraine and the constant aggression from Putin’s Russia. That is why Senator Patterson and I decided to speak in tandem in our report to colleagues and to Canadians.

As most of you know, parliamentary diplomacy missions include high-level meetings and discussions with various government and civil society leaders. On this visit, we met with the Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine, Natalka Cmoc; the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Undersecretary for Political Affairs at the Estonian Foreign Ministry; the Speaker of the Latvian Parliament; and the Head of Border Security for Estonia, a country that shares a border of hundreds of kilometres with Russia that is tested daily.

We also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and General Jennie Carignan, Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff. On Remembrance Day, I had the honour of laying a wreath at the Estonian national war cemetery. It was an emotional moment for me. Additionally, I had a private meeting with approximately 40 European ambassadors, during which we discussed the logistics of rebuilding Ukraine post-war.

Every meeting was informative and substantive, including the Rebuild Ukraine Exhibition and Conference we attended in Warsaw. Our delegation met with Canadian companies at this conference and appreciated their efforts to be part of this economic and humanitarian opportunity. That evening, I spoke at an event sponsored by the Canadian embassy and Natural Resources Canada, which included Canadian companies, diplomatic officials and members of the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce.

Senator Patterson provided an excellent and thorough description of our contributions to Operation REASSURANCE. While I value our high-level meetings, the most important meeting was with our troops. Shaking hands and talking with as many troops as our time allowed on a cold, rainy day in a muddy field was the highlight for me. These are the women and men in our Armed Forces who serve in this very dangerous region of the world, and they do so with dedication and professionalism.

Colleagues, over 2,200 Canadians are on the ground in Latvia, with more in Lithuania, Estonia and Poland in a coordinating role. Canada leads a 14-nation forward operating force as part of our NATO commitment. Our soldiers represent us with honour and dignity, and I am proud of them. Climbing onto and into the tanks and armoured personnel carriers and witnessing the live‑fire exercises with the Secretary General of NATO and Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff was an honour only exceeded by meeting the troops at their place of work and is a highlight of my position as a senator representing Canada. Thank you.