Baird leads delegation to Ukraine

As Ukraine’s parliament looks to install a new government on Thursday, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, John Baird, will leave for the country Wednesday. Baird will lead a delegation of MP’s and Ukrainian-Canadian community leaders. Prime Minister Harper made the announcement as he met with community representatives in his office Tuesday afternoon.

We’re all very encouraged by what has occurred over the past few days where we have seen the Ukrainian people and I think we have to credit the Ukrainian people themselves with resisting the attempt to overthrow the democracy and lead the country back into the past. They have rejected it. And we want to encourage them on that path. So tomorrow, minister of foreign affairs, John Baird, will be joining a Canadian delegation of both Ukrainian-Canadian leaders and representatives as well as parliamentarians that are going to visit Ukraine at these meetings as well as representatives of the new government of the Ukrainian people and offer our support for their transition once again to democracy and to their Euro-Atlantic asperations.”

Meanwhile, Russia’s Ambassador to Canada says talk about the possibility of Russian troops invading Ukraine is nonsense. He says it’s an insult to the intelligence of Canadians to even suggest that might happen in light of recent events in Kyiv and adds there is no possibility of a Russian military deployment. The comments come two days after the Harper government suggested Canada could impose sanctions against Russia if it were to interfere.

Ukraine’s parliament approved a resolution Tuesday to start the process of sending the country’s former president to the International Criminal Court. He’s wanted for the mass murder of anti-government protesters. They also delayed a vote on a new national unity government to allow for more consultations. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says his country supports Ukraine’s parliament and wants the country to remain unified. “This is not a zero sum game. This is not a west versus east. It should not be. It is not a Russia or the United States or other choices. This is about people of Ukraine and Ukrainians making their choice about their future. And we want to work with Russia, with other countries, with everybody available to make sure this is peaceful.”

Meanwhile in Ottawa, Justin Trudeau is personally apologizing to the Ukrainian ambassador for the joke he made about the situation in Ukraine. The federal Liberal leader visited the Ukrainian Embassy Tuesday after facing backlash for his comments.

He made the following tweets — “Honoured to have signed the book of condolences at the Ukrainian Embassy and discussed the situation in Ukraine with the ambassador.”

“Just spoke with Paul Grod of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress… Told him I’m sorry to have spoken lightly of the very real threat Russia poses to Ukraine.”

Monday, Trudeau linked the violence in Ukraine to Russia’s olympic hockey team losing to Finland. He joked that Russia is still angry from the loss, and might get involved in Ukraine.