Ralph Goodale, MP

Goodale calls for more Canadian action to push Ukraine toward greater democracy

LVIV, Ukraine – Wascana Liberal Member of Parliament Ralph Goodale says Canada can and should do more to encourage democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law in Ukraine.

Speaking near the end of a six-day, three-city visit to Ukraine by seven MPs representing the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, Goodale said Canadian policy needs to strike “the right balance of carrots-and-sticks.”

The Committee is being accompanied by Taras Zalusky of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Bob Onyschuk of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and Borys Potapenko of the League of Ukrainian Canadians.

 ”Nearly 1.3 million Canadians trace their heritage to Ukraine, so Canada cares a great deal what happens here,” Goodale said. “We rejoiced about Ukrainian independence 20 years ago and we were even happier when greater democracy arrived with the Orange Revolution in 2004. But since then, progress has been slow and the country has recently slipped backwards.”

To reinforce the point that “Canada cares” and “the world is watching,” the Parliamentary Committee met with the families and lawyers of jailed political prisoners, citizens groups, independent media, academics, government and opposition leaders, regional officials and others.

They heard troubling reports of election tampering, improper legal proceedings, media muzzling, bribery and corruption.

After two days of hearings in Kyiv, and before finishing their visit in Lviv, the Canadians spent Wednesday in Kharkiv. That being where former Ukrainian Prime Minister Tymoshenko is being held prisoner, and having been denied a formal visit, the MPs stopped by informally at both the hospital where she’s being treated and the prison where she will be returned – just to demonstrate Canada’s deep opposition to Ukraine’s handling of Ms Tymoshenko and many other political leaders.

The Canadians called for competent independent medical attention for all these prisoners, their early release and demonstrably free, fair and transparent elections in Ukraine this fall.

Goodale is already on record urging Canada to supply at least 1,500 qualified observers for those elections, and he wants the mandate of the Canadian International Development Agency to be bolstered to re-emphasize democratic development and support for civil society. He also wants Canadian broadcasters (including Radio-Canada International) to become more deeply engaged in eastern Europe to help ensure an honest independent source of news and information.

In addition, Goodale says Canada should proceed with current negotiations for a Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, but ratification should be held in abeyance until the credibility of this fall’s elections can be determined.

The former Finance Minister also says Canada should raise in G-8 and G-20 forums next week the issue of money laundering in Ukraine, and the tools available in the international community to restrict the travel and the financial dealings of corrupt government officials and monopolistic oligarchs in the private sector.

Goodale said, “this trip has been invaluable in informing Parliamentarians of both good and bad developments in Ukraine. It has also demonstrated that Canadian concern about Ukraine, and the political will to help, cuts across all Canadian Party lines.”

Goodale thanked Canadian Ambassador Troy Lulashnyk and his staff for excellent advice and support.

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Contact
Scott Bardsley
613-295-1761

Photos of the trip
Available on Flickr

Real Leadership Builds Bridges, Not Wedges or Firewalls

Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty are dead wrong to take pot shots at the provincial economy in Ontario. Yes, that province is struggling through a rough patch right now, which is only worsened when the federal government tells investors to go elsewhere.

Such nasty hyper-partisanship serves no useful purpose.

The federal Conservatives should not see themselves as “critics” of the provincial Liberals. They are both duly elected governments and should be working for the common good.

Equally off-base is Thomas Mulcair’s attack against natural resource developments in western Canada. He referred to them as some sort of “disease”, doing harm to the manufacturing sector in eastern provinces.

Professional economists offer mixed opinions on whether thriving energy and mining activity has an indirect impact on the manufacturing sector, but that’s beside the point. The real problem is Mr. Mulcair’s tone and purpose.

His message sounded divisive, pitting region-against-region and sector-against-sector. He’s trying to set up an economic confrontation with Stephen Harper, and he seems prepared to use provincial economies in the West as sacrificial pawns.

This is the sort of thing you inevitably get from sharply polarized politics.

Look at the toxic political environment in the United States. As their economy continues to stagger, there is no possibility of finding solutions that might earn broad-based support because their politics is all about “driving wedges” to push people apart, not pull them together.

Political polarization feeds off conflict. It is deeply divisive and corrosive. And it’s a dangerous game to play in a complicated country like Canada where our national cohesion is always delicate and we need to handle our vast diversity with great care.

Surely what we want and need are successful resource and manufacturing sectors all across this country. Our economy must not become a zero-sum game where if I win, you must lose, and vice versa. We want sustainable growth and expanding prosperity that is broadly based and broadly shared.

STATEMENT: Troubling Conservative indifference to income needs of MS sufferers

The following is the Hansard transcript of a question asked by Wascana MP Ralph Goodale in the House of Commons on Friday, May 11th, and the (non)answer from the government.

Hon. Ralph Goodale (Wascana, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, here is an example of why the massive budget bill needs fixing. To be eligible for a registered disability savings plan, people must first qualify for the disability tax credit, meaning that they have to have a severe disability right now. However, if they suffer from a debilitating condition like multiple sclerosis that leads to serious future problems, but not right now, they are not eligible for the DTC and therefore they cannot have a savings plan now when they could really use it. That is just wrong. For the second time, will the government correct that flaw?

Hon. Gail Shea (Minister of National Revenue, CPC): Mr. Speaker, it has been common practice to include various measures in the budget in the subsequent budget implementation bill. This is nothing groundbreaking, but simply reflects the central and important role of the budget to the government’s agenda. There will be seven full days of debate on the budget bill at second reading alone, before being referred to a committee. This is longer than the average time of debate for a budget bill in at least the last 20 years.

This is the second time this spring that Mr. Goodale has raised the issue of better access to Registered Disability Savings Plans for people with long-term debilitating conditions like MS. The government has shown complete indifference on both occasions.

Afterward he said: “The Conservatives’ hyper-partisan attitude is really appalling. They show no interest the human needs of ordinary Canadians – just crass politics all the time.

“Their approach is unfeeling and cruel, and it will ultimately cause their defeat.”

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