Solidarity pitch behind Green Party’s Ukraine trip

A rare trip for a Canadian politician to war-torn Ukraine has the Green Party’s second-in-command thinking about post-war integration as the visit attempts to spotlight the party’s support for Kyiv. Green Party deputy leader Jonathan Pedneault, who also serves as the party’s foreign affairs critic, was in Ukraine for a week-long trip from April 17-24, where he visited Kyiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv, around 40 kilometres from the Russia border. He told The Hill Times in a phone interview that the trip was “first and foremost” an opportunity to express solidarity with Ukraine and Ukrainian people. He said he alone made the decision to go, but remarked that Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (Saanich–Gulf Islands, B.C.) and Green MP Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre, Ont.) were “supportive” of his choice. “It was a personal decision and desire by me to show our party solidarity with Ukraine in these difficult times, especially since a number of people did raise the question of whether we were solidarity with Ukraine, which is quite unfortunate … as I was there at the beginning of the conflict and I documented Russian violations of international law,” he said. For Pedneault, it is his second trip to Ukraine since the outbreak of hostilities. He was in the eastern European nation the day after Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022, for a couple of weeks as part of his work with Human Rights Watch. Among the Canadian federal political response to Ukraine, the Green Party has played an outlying role advocating for peace where all other major parties have been supportive of increased military aid to Ukraine. During Question Period on Feb. 6, May asked: “What is Canada doing to press for peace talks and to press for a negotiated solution? Arms will not end the war.” Defence Minister Anita Anand (Oakville, Ont.) said the decision on “peace and Ukraine’s future” will be made by Ukraine. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress tweeted on Feb. 7 that May’s question showed “hocking ignorance by a leader of a party.” Pedneault apologized in March for comments he made to CBC regarding concerns that weapons being supplied to Ukraine could be used for offensive purposes. Green Party deputy leader Jonathan Pedneault, right, is shown areas that need demining by the head of civilian protection in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photograph courtesy of Jonathan Pedneault He told The Hill Times the “one thing” that will end the war is Russia withdrawing from Ukrainian territory. “They are not keen on doing that and so it’s perfectly legitimate and normal that Ukraine wants to fight. And Canada has supported that after and we have supported that Canadian action in Parliament,” he said. He said he had been looking to get back to Ukraine as his earlier trip played a factor in getting into politics last year. Last November, Pedneault won the party’s leadership with running mate and now party leader May. “After spending 14 years witnessing the Arab Spring, documenting abuses repeatedly in many parts of the world South America, Central America, Africa, Middle East, and Europe, Ukraine in many ways was the straw that broke the camel’s back and pushed me into politics,” he said. “It brought home the fact that you cannot take anything for granted.” How to handle suspected Russian collaborators in Ukraine? With the Liberal government’s continued focus on Ukrainian military victory and Kyiv’s planned spring counteroffensive, Pedneault said he wants the government to start planning for an integrated post-war society in Ukraine. He said that Canada is uniquely placed to work with Kyiv to develop a plan to integrate Ukrainians with Russian sympathies into a post-war society. “ questions of what to do with people who are suspected of having collaborated with occupying forces,” he said. “There are some reasonable worries to be had with regards to how the Ukrainian law on collaborators, which was passed in rush right after the invasion, will be applied.” The Ukrainian law against collaboration sets out up to 15 years imprisonment for aiding the Russian military, supporting Russia, or denying Russia’s aggression. “I think it will be crucial for the stability for Ukraine and also its long-term prospects to re-engage in transitional justice as much as possible,” Pedneault said. “And that’s something that I hope Canada will be able to support and should start supporting as soon as possible alongside reconstruction.” Green Party deputy leader Jonathan Pedneault, centre, says party leader Elizabeth May, right, and MP Mike Morrice, left, were supportive of his decision to travel to Ukraine. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Despite the ongoing conflict, the human rights activist said there is a place for countries like Canada to raise questions with Ukraine about what will happen as they regain territory that has been held by Russia. “How do you win back some populations that may not necessarily be thrilled with the perspective of the Ukrainian state returning?” he asked. Pedneault spotlighted the cases of those Ukrainians who have lived under Russian control since 2014 and have had dealings with the Russian authorities and carry Russia passports. “Those are all questions that need to be discussed,” he said. “It’s going to be very important that the populations that did live under occupation for a long period of time don’t end up being ostracized or punished because they had to do what they needed to do in order to survive in those circumstances with their homes and villages controlled by the Russian state.” He said due process has to be respected for the accused, but remarked there is also a need for a conversation about the rationale in conducting large-scale prosecutions for the many thousands who lived behind Russian lines who may have paid taxes to Russia or had business dealings with the occupation force. “These are extremely difficult discussions to have with a state that is a victim of an invasion, but I think that a friendly actor like Canada and an actor that has been relentless in its support to Ukraine is among the best placed to have these discussions in a friendly way and propose not only potential solutions, but also assistance and eventually technical assistance in making sure best practices are followed to prevent further destabilization or attempts at destabilization by foreign actors, Russia included,” he said. Pedneault said he plans to write to Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly (Ahuntsic–Cartierville, Que.) and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland (University–Rosedale, Ont.) regarding the conversations he had on the ground in Ukraine about the need to focus on transitional justice. He acknowledged that there will be some who think he is putting the “carriage ahead of the horses” by advocating for more focus on post-war life, but he remarked that it was a topic that was raised by civil society organizations while in Ukraine. Pedneault said he met with more than 20 groups, including the Green Party members in Ukraine, the International Organization for Migration, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and civil society groups, as well as Canadian volunteers on the ground. ‘Value in being there’ The Green Party deputy leader flew into Krakow, Poland, where he took the nearly 250-kilometre train ride to the Polish border town of Przemyśl before continuing on a more than 600-kilometre train trip to Kyiv. Only a select few Canadian politicians have travelled within Ukraine’s borders since Russia’s February 2022 invasion—a group composed mainly of cabinet ministers. Jonathan Pedneault's, second from right, with a group of volunteers from HUGS Ukraine, an NGO founded by two Canadians. Photograph courtesy of Jonathan Pedneault The House of Commons Committee on Foreign Affairs wanted to travel to Ukraine this past February as part of its study on the Russian invasion, but the proposal was rejected by the Liaison Committee after Global Affairs and the House Sergeant-at-Arms recommended that the committee not travel to the war-torn nation due to safety concerns. NDP committee member Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, Alta.) made the trip to Ukraine earlier this year despite the recommendation. The Canadian government advises against all travel to Ukraine. Pedneault said the Ukrainian Embassy was “made aware” that he planned to take a trip to Ukraine, and he said they were “very supportive.” “There certainly is use being on the ground,” he said. “This is an extraordinarily important foreign affairs question for Canada.” “It’s an important question and one that warrants MPs' attention,” he said, about increased travel to Ukraine. “I do think there is value in being there and showing face, and asking questions and reporting back.” nmoss@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

Solidarity pitch behind Green Party’s Ukraine trip

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Solidarity pitch behind Green Party’s Ukraine trip

The Green Party has previously been criticized for calling for Canada to push for peace talks and a negotiated solution to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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