Canada's defense committee recommends government provide lethal weapons to Ukraine
Canada's Standing Committee on National Defense has published a report entitled "Canada's Support to Ukraine in Crisis and Armed Conflict," which recommends that the government provide lethal weapons to Ukraine if it demonstrates active work on fighting corruption in the country.
"The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada provide lethal weapons to Ukraine to protect its sovereignty from Russian aggression, provided that Ukraine demonstrate it is actively working to eliminate corruption at all levels of government," reads one of the 17 recommendations in the report.
Other recommendations to the Canadian government are to engage in the exchange of intelligence sharing capabilities with Ukraine, encourage cooperation with Ukraine in the defense industry, commit to supporting Ukraine in countering hybrid aggression, in particular, against cyber attacks on government systems and critical infrastructure, and in resisting to the dissemination of foreign propaganda and disinformation through the media.
The committee also recommends that the government increase Canada's contribution to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, call for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to Ukraine, and continue to provide strong military training to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and look for opportunities to expand the type of training and support provided by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) through Operation UNIFIER.
One more recommendation says: "The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada announce a plan to grant visa-free travel to Canada for Ukrainians." The government is also recommended to reinstate the Youth Mobility Agreement with Ukraine to allow for qualified Ukrainians to apply for travel and work within Canada for up to one year as a means "to further enhance Canadian and Ukrainian economic and cultural cooperation."
The document also contains the recommendation to Canada consider furthering Ukrainian interests at the G7 and promote relations with the Ukrainian government and the public, especially in the fight against corruption.
