On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Canada’s party leaders are largely united in their commitment to further support Ukraine’s war effort.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday in Kyiv that Canada would begin the “first instalment” of a $5 billion fund, financed by frozen Russian assets. This initiative, first introduced at a G7 summit in Apulia, Italy, last June, aims to further back Ukraine as the U.S. pushes for a peace deal.
Along with using the frozen Russian assets, Trudeau pledged to give Ukraine 25 more LAV III infantry fighting vehicles and two armoured combat support vehicles, with Ukrainian troops set to undergo training in Germany on their use.
He also announced that Canada would provide Ukraine with four F-16 flight simulators “in the coming months,” and said that landing systems for F-16s were delivered two months ago.
Trudeau said this will be in addition to “millions of additional” rounds of ammunition components for drone cameras and first aid kits. Finally, he pledged that Canada would provide a grant to the country to “maintain energy security,” citing Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
“This is a war of aggression on Ukraine’s people, culture, identity and very existence. But it’s also a war on our way of life. It’s a war on democracy, on the rule of law, on self-determination, a war on justice and a war on truth at this critical moment,” Trudeau said. “We can’t wait. The moment to stop this war of aggression, the moment to defend democracy, the moment to stand for our shared values, is now. So let us seize it.”
However, Trudeau wasn’t alone in supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
Liberal leadership candidate and frontrunner Mark Carney signalled a likely continuation of Canada’s support for Ukraine if he becomes Prime Minister.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also reaffirmed former Conservative prime minister Steven Harper’s commitment to defending Ukraine, dating back to Russia’s initial incursions into Crimea over a decade ago.
“It is often noted that Moscow’s war against Ukraine began not in 2022 but nearly eight years prior. At that time, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper took a clear and principled stand,” Poilievre said on X. “While many other countries dithered, Canada sent troops to Ukraine under Operation UNIFIER and played a leading role in removing the Russian Federation from the G8.”
Poilievre pledged that his government would stand by Harper’s decision in 2014, affirming that Russian President Vladimir Putin should not be allowed back into what is now the G7 – a suggestion recently made by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Canada’s Common Sense Conservatives remain committed to getting Ukraine the weapons they need – and to promoting Canadian oil and gas as an alternative to Putin’s energy blackmail,” Poiliere said.
“Conservatives believe that no process for peace negotiations should happen without Ukraine being part of these discussions,” he said in response to recent peace talks between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was excluded. “Ukrainians have the right to determine their own future.”
Notably missing from the national conversation on the anniversary of the war, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, though his most recent post on social media, indicates his attention is focused more on the Middle East.
Green Party leader Elizabeth May shared a post on X as well commemorating the anniversary of the war and pledging Canada’s collective support for the embattled nation.
People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier was the only federal party leader to differ in his opposition to the war.
Bernier called Trudeau an “utter fool” for giving more foreign aid to Kyiv in the form of tanks, drones, ammunition and “money stolen from Russia.”
He called the other party leaders, such as Poilievre, “warmongers” and accused the Conservative leader of pandering.
Bernier has previously pledged to cut all taxpayer funding to foreign wars.