30/01/2025 | 18:49:53 Thank you, and good evening everyone. I would like to start off by thanking the rapporteur Ms Valentina GRIPPO, buonasera signora, whose report rightly insists on the importance of striking a balance between the difference rights, freedoms and interests at stake in the regulation of content moderation on social media. Finding this balance has proven to be a legislative challenge in the Canadian Parliament in the past few years. The idea mentioned in the resolution that the press and the media... 30/01/2025 | 13:00:22 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Honourable colleagues, There are over 1.4 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent. They represent the third-largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world and are an integral part of communities across Canada. That’s why, when Russia launched its illegal and barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we felt it deeply. It was personal. And we responded. Since February 2022, Canada has committed over $19.5 billion in total assistance to Ukraine... 30/01/2025 | 12:59:42 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear colleagues, Only a few days ago, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s General Rapporteur for a Democratic Belarus, Mr. Ryszard Petru, warned that the 26 January 2025 elections in the country “were set to be a sham.” The General Rapporteur’s prediction was entirely on target. Media coverage of this past Sunday’s elections in Belarus have - once again - revealed that President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is incapable of... 29/01/2025 | 19:22:04 Thank you. Good evening, esteemed colleagues. And thank you to the rapporteur Ms Kate OSAMOR for her report in today's debate. I find myself sort of scratching my head as I listen to many of the comments this evening. I come from a city of 350 000 people, where 113 languages are spoken within that city. I come from a country where I am the son of Italian immigrants who immigrated to Canada. And many of the folks here in Canada, we have diasporic communities from probably every country that is... 28/01/2025 | 14:19:14 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) In its draft resolution, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy calls for “an open rules‑based international order of realism.” The rapporteur explains why we should be concerned that international fragmentation is intensifying while our policy agenda is becoming more complex. The report, draft resolution, and explanatory memorandum devote significant attention to the UN Security Council and the struggle to reach agreement on its... 27/06/2024 | 20:44:28 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Honourable colleagues, I have the privelige of representing the riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge in the Canadian Parliament. The City of Vaughan has half a dozen mosques, including the Canadian headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’t. But my riding also borders one with the highest Jewish population of any in our country. As a result, in the wake of October 7th I’ve been exposed to tremendous amounts of anger and sadness in both communities... 27/06/2024 | 19:51:39 Thank you very much, Madam Chair. It's wonderful to be here this evening in the hemicycle. It's always a privilege and honour. First, I'd like to say for any democracy freedom of expression, freedom to gather with fellow citizens, and freedom of religion are obviously paramount. They are paramount in Canada and they are paramount in the many democracies within the 46 member states that make up the Council of Europe. But they are also under threat around the world and we must guard against it... 27/06/2024 | 17:49:25 Thank you, Mister Chair. Dear colleagues, good afternoon again to you. I first would like to state that Canada remain steadfast in its support of Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity, and always will support the brave Ukrainian people men and women fighting for their freedom and democracy. I am very happy to see and to have read, as state in the draft resolution, that the establishment of the Register of Damage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which... 27/06/2024 | 16:31:18 Good afternoon, dear colleagues. For nearly 65 years, dating back to the Republic of Cyprus’s independence, Canada and Cyprus have maintained diplomatic relations. Significantly, Canada has been part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for almost as long. Since that mission’s establishment, over 25 000 Canadians have served as peacekeepers in Cyprus. Twenty-eight Canadians, unfortunately, have given their lives there. Sixty years later, Canada continues to contribute to the UN... 27/06/2024 | 13:25:06 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) As Prime Minister Trudeau has said repeatedly these past few years, Canada will stand with Ukraine “for as long as it takes.” Those may be his words, but they could just as easily be those of any of our party leaders. Since March 2022, almost 300,000 Ukrainian nationals have come to Canada under our Canada–Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program. As the program’s name suggests, it was intended to be temporary. Ukrainians could...