Nunavut, Nunavik MPs resist Zelenskyy’s call to close Ukraine airspace
Ukrainian president calls on Canada to support no-fly zone during war with Russia
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Canadian parliamentarians that Canada needs to do more to support Ukraine as Russia’s invasion of his country continues. (Screenshot from ParlVu)
Nunavut’s and Nunavik’s MPs called for more sanctions against Russia instead of the no-fly zone Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested during an historic speech to Canada’s Parliament on Tuesday.
“What [Ukraine wants] is us to close the airspace, but when we say close the airspace, it equals war, a third world war,” Nunavik-area MP Sylvie Bérubé said in an interview in French.
Zelenskyy said Canada needs to do more to help Ukraine stop Russia’s invasion, including supporting the closure of Ukrainian airspace to prevent Russia from bombing his country.
“Please, close the sky, close the airspace,” Zelenskyy said during a speech streamed in the House of Commons.
“Please stop the bombing. How many more cruise missiles need to fall on our cities?”
Other world leaders have been unwilling to commit to a no-fly zone because it would require them to enforce the measure, something that might draw them directly into the fight with Russia.
In his remarks, which lasted about 12 minutes, Zelenskyy told parliamentarians to think about how they would feel if Canada was being invaded and 97 children died.
Lori Idlout, the NDP MP for Nunavut said she understands why Zelenskyy would want Canada to take a lead on closing Ukraine’s airspace.
But she said Canada should work toward a peaceful solution to the conflict that began nearly three weeks ago.
“I think we have to remain founded in our history as a peacekeeping country, and keep focusing on ensuring peace in our world, as difficult as it is,” she said in an interview after the speech.
Idlout tuned in to the special parliamentary sitting from Sanikiluaq, where she has been meeting with constituents. Bérubé was in the House of Commons, watching Zelenskyy speak on TV screens, live from Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also pushed for Canada to implement more sanctions that could bankrupt the Russian war effort, as well as for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take some leadership at NATO in supporting his Ukraine’s needs.
He concluded his speech by thanking Trudeau for the steps that have been taken already and by thanking Canadians for their support.
“I am grateful to Canadian people, and I am confident that, together, we will overcome and we will be victorious,” Zelenskyy said.
Both Idlout and Bérubé said the question of whether or not to close the airspace in Ukraine is difficult to answer.
However, Idlout emphasized a need to continue sanctioning Russia’s rich and powerful, providing medical and military supplies to Ukrainian forces, and facilitating the safe passage and settlement of refugees fleeing the country.
Idlout said Nunavummiut are remaining informed and vigilant about the invasion of Ukraine and security in the Arctic, but they are not panicking,
If the Canadian government plans on investing in military infrastructure in the North, there needs to be a similar investment to Inuit communities, Canadian Army Rangers, and search and rescue teams who can provide support in case of emergency.
“Residents of the Arctic are the ones that are there,” she said. “They should be recognized as being able to monitor activities that are going on and be resourced to make sure that they can be part of the protection of Canada.”
Bérubé, the MP for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, echoed a similar statement about ensuring the protection of Nunavik and all of northern Quebec.
“We can never know with Russia, who come close to coming into the Arctic and come close to coming into the north,” she said. “It’s less populated, but there are communities and we must protect them.”
Bérubé banned from Russia
Shortly after Zelenskyy’s speech, Russia’s foreign ministry listed 313 Canadians – most of them MPs – who are now banned from entering the country over what the Kremlin referred to as “Russophobic” attacks, such as supporting economic sanctions.
Bérubé’s name appeared on the list, along with Trudeau’s, all of the federal party leaders, cabinet, and some of the other dignitaries who were in the House of Commons today, including Canada’s chief of defence staff, Gen. Wayne Eyre.
“We support Ukraine, so it’s not like it’s a big surprise that we’re on that list,” Bérubé said in French in an interview with Nunatsiaq News. “It’s clear that we’re not going to Russia, so that changes nothing,” Bérubé said
Idlout was one of the few MPs to not make Russia’s list. Like Bérubé, she also said she has no plans to travel to Russia any time soon.
Even Russia has already forgotten about her.
They probably got bored trying to figure out what she was trying to say and just, well… moved on.
Ms. Idlout’s naivety is breathtaking. Unfortunately, it was shared by NATO’s – and Canada’s leadership before the invasion. One might have hoped that the experience of the failed appeasers in 1938/39 would have signaled that there is no negotiating with a craven dictator. Yet, as recently as last week, CNN reported that President Macron spent 90 minutes on the telephone with Putin. The result? An escalation of Russian attacks on homes, hospitals and civilian infrastructure. Canada’s so called peace keeping tradition was possible in the late 2oth century because the edifice was built on the sacrifice of tens of thousands of young Canadians who left home to cross the oceans to fight for freedom in Europe, Hong Kong, Korea and elsewhere. Ukraine does not need pious reminders from Canadians about peace, love and goodwill. No to a ‘No fly zone’? Then the Canadian government must immediately pressure its NATO allies to provide immediate! lethal military hardware to shoot down the Russian missiles raining on its cities. It needs to press its NATO allies that there comes a point in human affairs where it is unconscionable to stand (We stand with Ukraine from the safety of our Parliamentary offices) to stand by while thousands of innocents are slaughtered in a criminal war. NATTO ought to have drawn a red line in the sand before the invasion. It is not to late to draw one now. Now that Russia has escalated by firing cruise missiles against Ukraine, NATO should turn over command of its cruise missile fleet to Ukrainian officers for use solely on Ukrainian territory. The Czechs and Slovaks should provide their Russian made anti-cruise missile batteries to Ukraine. Poland should ignore the Americans and provide its MIG fleet to Ukraine. NATO should tell Russia that if Putin orders the use of chemical weapons, NATO should launch attacks against Russian forces in Ukraine. If we don’t, the free peoples of Moldova and Georgia will be next (check their recent histories with Putin). But, won’t that will anger Putin and trigger WWIII? Well, I suspect that Putin’s generals are as afraid of seeing their families and cities incinerated in a nuclear holocaust as we all are. That, not seizing yachts, might very well lead to a palace coup. Colonel Stauffenberg has been seen as a hero ever since he gave his life in 1944 in a try to kill Hitler. If the West finally finds its moral compass and takes a resolute stand, we can hope that another person or persons of principle will step forward in Moscow.
If we just continue to stand by and utter platitudes that make us feel superior, and Ukraine falls, that will bring a shame upon us which will take generations to expunge. May God help us all.
I like your plan there General. However, when are we going to stop favoring one nation over others??? Palestinian kids and people are dying every day thanks to Israel and yet Canada supports this ongoing genocide. USA has committed atrocities all over Middle East in the name of ” freedom”. Don’t hear Canada standing up so much against the actions of their closest ally. China commited genocide on Uyghurs. Still, nothing has been done. Russia decimated Chechens and capital Grozny. Noone stood up. Why is Ukraine so special that we all need to stand up for? Freedom and democracy?….or is there really another reason? I think the latter. Canada should start looking after its own people first before helping these blond hair and blue eyes Ukrainians. Most of the First Nations don’t have drinking water. War veterans are on welfare that noone cares about anymore. Kids go to school hungry. Suicide if off the charts…
Oh well, it is what it is!
You raise an important question here, Randy.
Why the outpouring of moral concern for Ukraine, why is it “so special” to us, yet at the time we appeared to exhibit no comparable concern for Chechnya, Syria, or the Uyghurs?
To whatever limited extent that “we” can exhibit moral concern, I wonder if your point is actually true. On the one hand are we not equally horrified by what we see in the Ukraine and what we see in Syria?
You’re onto something though and that is the extent to which Ukraine has saturated media coverage compared to times where Russia has previously intervened, from Syria to Chechnya and Georgia (note: the latter two are a fair skinned people, some even have blue eyes).
Is the increased focus of governments related to the fact that Ukraine is more clearly ‘European’? It might be. Are Ukrainians simply more familiar to us than Syrians? Probably. Does Ukraine stand out to our governments and media because this invasion is a direct challenge to European or more broadly Western civilization? And to a lesser extent NATO? I think we are honing in on it here. The intensity of the focus (let’s see how long this even lasts) is not that surprising with that in mind.
The invasion of Ukraine then is a direct challenge to “us.” Granted this “us” is partly imagined and functions in this way as long as we believe we have the capacity, or even more, the right to control the narrative and the outcome. The ‘right’ (belief) to control can only function if their is a corresponding ability… for the past 2 to 3 decades that was our default, but times are changing.
Humans are biased, we identify with other humans, at times, and at other times we view others as hostile and a threat. If we believe the expanse of our moral concerns is too limited, too biased, we need to ask questions about how we can expand the reach of our moral concerns.
I would argue that only way we can truly achieve this is through cultural, economic and political integration. As westerners we want this to happen around our particular values, and why shouldn’t we?
What do you think, am I on point or confused? And, what would your solution to these issues be?
Not to worry Nunavut, if we have to defend the GN has experience from within and will protect our boarders from an invasion. Support or no support from our MP.
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674nti_staffer_settles_case_with_two_guilty_pleas/
True , if Nato countries start shooting russian aircafts , howlong before , the russians start using nukes.
Info from Max Blumenthal of thegrayzone, interviewing a knowledgeable source – there will be a staged gas attack in the coming days. Ukrainians civilians are in line to be sacrificed for war PR. Thegrayzone.com FMI.
The Grayzone is a left-wing to far-left news website and blog founded and edited by American journalist Max Blumenthal. The website, initially founded as The Grayzone Project, was affiliated with AlterNet before becoming independent in early 2018. The website’s news content is generally considered to be fringe and it is known for its sympathetic coverage of authoritarian regimes and its denial of the Uyghur genocide.
I believe they are called “Tankies”, in reference to the Western socialists and communists who supported the Soviet crackdowns (which made use of tanks) on Czechoslovakia and Hungary.
Strange that Russia is no longer communist or socialist, but the Tankies keep carrying water for Russia (and China).
Not so. Max is an independent writer, his views and reports are his own, and come from his own investigation and research. It is therefore unlike what we get from big corporate media.
The idea that Canada has some natural historic role as a Peacekeeper is as much (perhaps more) myth than reality. It is a useful myth though, that has served austere governments by giving them an ‘out’ for their lukewarm commitments to NATO and our half-hearted military spending.
It’s also great rhetoric. It makes us feel good, it plays to the sense of moral superiority our country has developed given its proximity to a global superpower that does have the capacity to affect real change in the world—using real violence—and our ambitions for a similar measure of global recognition, based instead on our inherent ‘goodness.’
To say we are ‘peacekeepers’ rallies us behind an idealized vision of ourselves that ultimately demands very little, but also gives a lot.
It is embarrassing to see Lori putting out these simplistic arguments, but I suppose she has no real background here.
It as quite refreshing to watch a leader speak. It has been a long time since North America had any leaders worth listening to. Our politicians need to take note. IF they can achieve at least 25% of the integrity Zelensky has, it would be a great improvement However, with the crop of politicians North America has, I do not see this happening any time soon or in my lifetime.
Matthew C. Taibbi (/taɪˈiːbi/; born March 2, 1970) is an American author, journalist, and podcaster. He has reported on finance, media, politics, and sports.
For a clearer understanding of what is happening in current events, a background,
Matt has valuable information that big news networks suppress.
I like Matt a lot, he’s bright and he lived in Russia for a number of years. I enjoy his writing style too.
Another insightful journalist is Robert Wright, he has a podcast on bloggingheads.tv that is definitely worth tuning in to. He’s also a very good writer.
Now is the time for. Canada to step up and show why we are known for compassion and kindesss. The world needs to collectively. step up and. help stop this mad man Putin. This is a wake up call on just how fragile democracy is. Through constructive dialogue and safe guards. we will get through this and Putin will not. be remembered a great leader but as a mad tyrant. Being a bigger bully is not the answer. Thank you Lori and all the other MPS for being the sound of reason and not the looking for a fight. It was good to see the federal politicians all stand together in solidarity.
Sorry to disagree with you, but the time for negotiation only has passed. Putin has shown himself to be a tyrant, liar and madman. In my opinion, the time has come to confront Russia with military force. I’m still not convinced that Russia would launch a nuclear attack and fearing that it will accomplishes nothing other than emboldening Putin. I say NATO, and any other country willing to help out, should assist Ukraine and attack Russian forces. I’m prepared to live or die with the consequences. A world where powerful tyranny is allowed to roam because of fear is not one I want to live in. It’s time to take the fight to Putin and being afraid of a possible WW3 shouldn’t deter us.
Hahahaha. You’re too funny. My experience as a survivor, in residential schools, I never saw any kindness from non Inuit. I was beaten, made hungry, belittled, and verbally abused in school. So, I’m sorry if I find your post funny.
There are things that Canada, the EU and NATO can do, other than a no-fly zone.
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Grant asylum to any Russian soldier in Ukraine who surrenders to Ukranian forces and asks for asylum in the West. It will cost a lot less to host 100,000 Russians than 5,000,000 Ukranians. It will also end the war.
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Provide the Ukranian forces with non-lethal artilery shells filled with US currency. The Ukranians could “shell” ahead of advancing Russian soldiers. Let the Russian soldiers look for money, rather than look for Ukranians. The money will not only distract Russian soldiers, it will also create disention within the ranks when Russian soldiers try to hide the US money and Russian officers try to confiscate the money.
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When engaged in an asymetrical was, it is necessary to use such unconventional tactics.
You keep saying this.. I’ll give you marks for creativity, though I am unsure if it would work or if it is even a good idea. Still, nice to see some thinking outside the box going on.
Hit the Russians with Susan B. Anthony dollars. They are metal dollars and will do real damage to anyone they hit while falling from the sky.
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If you have a few in your pocket you won’t be able to run silently. You will jingle when you move.
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If you fill your pockets with them, your pants will likely fall down.
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If you fill your pack with them you will have a very heavy pack, but no food, no water and no amunition.
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Go for it, soldiers. Pick up those Susan B. Anthony dollers and be rich like an American.
I think the world had similar views when Germany took Poland and we know that diplomacy and sanctions did the trick there.
Canada does not have the military capacity to close any airspace. Our CF 18s are older than the pilots that fly them, and would be easy pickings for a modern air defense system. Years of neglect and incompetence in procurement in successive governments has brought us here. Nice words, GN, but a moot point.
Lori’s comments on this issue are naive and poorly thought out.
When she says (and I will paraphrase) “I understand the desire for a no-fly zone, but instead we must stick to creating ‘peace'” what is being said? What does it mean to say we need to focus on “peacekeeping”?
How can a statement like that be mapped onto reality in a meaningful way? What does creating peace look like, if we refuse to ever use power to achieve it?
Something to consider; violence is a form of conflict resolution. It might not be a desirable one, but it is necessary in certain circumstances.
To call for peacekeeping during open hostilities is meaningless. How does one keep the peace when there is no peace to keep? The present moment requires “peacemaking,” and that can require the use of force.
I’m not suggesting we necessarily implement a “no-fly zone”. But I am cautioning against idealistic non-sense that suggests “constructive dialogue” or “diplomacy” is always going to work. It is not always going to work.
Let’s not delude ourselves on fantasies about the magic of “peacekeeping” and what it means to create and maintain peace. Paradoxically, creating peace can demand an ability to inflict tremendous violence.
Ideally diplomacy works to avoid this, but there might come a point where, if diplomacy fails, we may be forced to act. We need to ensure we are prepared for that possibility if and when it comes.
I would honestly be surprised if Loru could find the Ukraine on a map.
My friends and I had a good chuckle a few weeks back when she appeared to not know what the population of Nunavut was in Question Period. She raised a few eyebrows on that glorious day.
“Nunavut’s and Nunavik’s MPs called for more sanctions against Russia” … you politicians could start by putting a stop to the Russian Transglobal Car expedition that is taking place from Yellowknife through the territories.
Mass hysteria courtesy of your military industrial machine which now includes the big media networks. If those leaders calling for an escalation had to lead the battles at the front there would be no wars, none.
This tendency to reduce conflict to the monied machinations of the “military industrial complex” is just too singular and one dimensional.
Explain how that fits into the broader picture of Russian imperialism, NATO expansionism, oil and natural gas interests, and the psychological needs of leaders longing for clout and prestige within the international order.
All these factors matter and aren’t reducible to the puppet strings of a capitalist machine that wants war because ‘profits’.
Pork Pie for President!
If the argument based on self-interested altruism is not convincing; let’s focus on self interest. Putin’s Russia is Canada’s northern neighbour. Decades of neglect have left us unable to defend our own country. Experts have been sounding the alarm for years (for example Prof. Hubert at U of Calgary) about the HUGE expansion of Russian military personnel and infrastructure in the Arctic. Putin had a Russian flag put on the seabed of the North Pole in 2007 to signal Russia’s territorial claims over the Arctic seabed; parts of which we claim. You’re concern does nothing to address the fact that Russia’s territorial ambitions are a real threat to Canada. Putin and his ilk are driven solely by hard-nosed self-interest and as we saw yesterday, clearly marked buildings housing children are legitimate targets to them. Why has the Prime Minister and his government not followed pacifist Germany’s lead in declaring that Canada will – finally! – meet it’s NATO commitment to spend 2% of our GDP on defence? Worrying about military industrial complexes, or singing the peace. love, brotherhood, and diversity song as we skip down Dorothy’s yellow brick road will not protect us or our interests against Putin’s Russia. No one in their right mind likes war especially those of us who have served. But, ChesLey, we live in a nasty, nasty world and there are a lot of bad people out there who do not wish us well.
Russia does have an interest in exploiting what lies under the Arctic sea, so does Denmark and so does Canada. Unsurprisingly we all want the biggest piece of the pie we can get.
Why don’t we wait and see what the The UN Commission on Limits of the Continental Shelf has to say about it before getting too hysterical over what we think we own and what we think the Russians are going to steal from us?
Well. Last week, the International Criminal Court and the General Assembly of the United Nations called for Putin to stop the invasion. Even the Pope in his Sunday Angelis called on Russia to stop. The result? Russian warplanes destroyed a theatre plainly marked as sheltering children. It’s not hysteria, it is recognizing Putin for what he is: a war criminal who cannot be trusted. Just ask the tens of thousands of innocent Syrians who were attacked with (illegal) barrel bombs and chemical weapons by Putin while the world watched. (Yes after crossing Obama’s red line in the sand with zero consequences from the West). Putin is not a Gorbachev. Putin is a Stalin. And just ask the Poles how that worked out between 1939 and 1989.
The issues are certainly complex. Rolling a bundle of ugly snap shots together, calling them a ‘Stalin’ and pretending that is insightful is not terribly useful and sheds no light.
For now, we don’t even know what the actual map of sovereign space on the sea bed is going to look like. Russian flag planting at the pole is pure theatrics, but is it any less valid that Canada’s pretenses to that space? Is our hysteria and moral grandstanding, for the moment, any less theatrical?
Concerned citizen, I apologize if I was a little snappy, not cool.
I think I may have missed what you are really getting at here. Is your fundamental concerned that Russia will play dirty in the in the soon to come Arctic underwater mining game, once things open up?
Personally I would expect them to; they are a mob state, these definitely aren’t people with our western liberal sensibilities. Is that a side point though?
Is your main concern that Russia will stage an invasion of Canada, specifically Nunavut?
Thanks for your post.
If they don’t play dirty re the Arctic, I’ll be very surprised.
I do expect them (and the Communist Chinese) to start sailing through the Northwest Passage without permission from Canada.
What if it was the other way around. You would also be disappointed if they said “No” to your safety.
Think about it for 2 seconds. How do you enforce a no fly zone?
By finger wagging or missiles.
Now if we (NATO) start firing missiles at Russian aircraft what do you think is going to happen?
Worse case scenario, a nuclear war. But, I don’t think Putin will use them W.M.D.. Too much at stake for him and his cronies, economic wise. And, they would like to get their riches back. Money gives people a sense of power like we see over there, and here on North America.
What is clear but seems to be misunderstood (or grossly underestimated) is the fact that Putin is a dictator of the same cloth as Stalin and Hitler. His ambitions for Russia is well known for at least two decades and he proved to follow suit with invasions like Crimea and the Donbass. Moreover, he will not stop short of any mass destruction to achieve his goals. Just look at Syria and Chechnya where willful destruction of schools and hospitals was the least violations of international law that his troops achieved. He’s now enrolling Syrian and Chechen mercenaries because they are better fighters in urban warfare and more likely to kill and massacre civilians than Russian soldiers who see Ukrainians as a sister nation.
The West is partly responsible for this mess given that there was little reaction for Putin’s invasions and massacres. Even Obama who drew a red line against the use of chemical warfare in Syria went sheepish after Putin did use these weapons. Even worse, NATO went at length to declare that there would be no involvement of its troops in the war waged by Putin in Ukraine which gave Putin a carte blanche to invade Ukraine and massacre its population on the excuse of denazification.
In fact Putin used similar excuses as Hitler when he invaded Czechoslovakia to liberate the German speaking minority. Putin’s goals are quite clear: he dreams of reviving the former USSR and its empire and he is likely to achieve his goal given the fear he inspires in western capitals and for NATO. One day it will be too late to stop him and the rest will be history.