Stepping Up The Resources Pledge

"We have been asking for Canada to provide lethal, defensive military support to Ukraine. Canada's been a leader all along. If the U.S. and NATO allies are moving towards a position, I expect that Canada would be co-ordinatd with them in that regard."
"But if we have long-range sniper rifles so that half-a-dozen boys aren't getting killed by the Russian terrorists' snipers every day at the Donetsk airport, that would be useful."
Taras Zalusky, executive director, Ukrainian Canadian Congress

Donetsk’s Federative Republic                                                                    Lugansk’s Republic

The Canadian government has steadfastly held the position that its sympathies lie completely with Ukraine over Russia's aggression, and it has condemned without any reservations the illegal act of annexing Crimea, Moscow's and President Vladimir Putin's astonishing act of militaristic intervention in a neighbouring country, inciting a Ukrainian pro-Russian faction to believe their violent movement of secession is legal and worthy of support.

The violence that ensued led to a number of atrocities, not the least was the July downing of the passenger jet Malaysian airlines Flight 17 over Donetsk with the loss of life of 283 passengers and 15 crew. Shot down by Ukrainian-Russian rebels in the belief that they were shooting at a Ukrainian military plane, a number of which they had already brought down. Eastern Ukraine is under siege by the rebels supported by Russian military in green uniforms missing insignia.

When Petro Poroshenko visited Ottawa in the fall he specifically asked for additional materiel assistance, and the government was swift to agree more would be added to the already-considerable aid Canada was committed to. But the government was also quick to respond that no lethal military aid would be forthcoming, as a matter of principle. Canada has also initiated sanctions against Russian officials, banks, energy and arms companies and Ukrainian separatist leaders.

Russia's foreign ministry has issued a warning of "retaliatory measures" it was geared to take against Canada and the United States, over and above its sanctions against a number of Members of Parliament and the restrictions it imposed on Canadian agriculture exports. Canada has now come under criticism from within for its deliberate exceptions to the sanctions of three significant cronies of Vladimir Putin, whom he made head of three important Russian state-owned businesses, because they have signed mutually profitable contracts with Canadian businesses.

Doesn't that make Canada appear rather hypocritical? Last week President Obama signed a law authorizing providing up to $350 million in military hardware and munitions to Ukraine, overturning his country's initial refusal to provide lethal weaponry to Ukraine's military. Included in the U.S. military provisions to Ukraine now will be anti-tank weapons, heavy machine guns, drones, counter-artillery radar and allied equipment. To counter weapons provided by Russia to the rebels.

The rebel Ukrainian-Russians are in possession of heavy and sophisticated weapons; theirs were derived from Russia which has bent over backward, laughingly denying accusations of that very thing, while continuing to ship along weapons to the rebels. "Along with our military contributions to NATO's assurance measures, this is yet another positive action that Canada is taking to help Ukraine respond to Vladimir Putin's military aggression", stated a spokeswoman for the Defence Ministry.

Making note that President Poroshenko had credited Canada's non-lethal aid with saving lives. But it's time to step up the sanctions to include a few losses for select Canadian businesses who had the misfortune to court Russian corporations, and to step up to the plate in the provisioning of military weapons to a country that needs all the help it can get from its friends.