Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with Canadians to imagine the terror and horror unfolding in his country in an emotional address to Parliament this morning.
Zelenskyy addressed a special joint session of Parliament by video link from Ukraine, where the Russian invasion is now in its 20th day.
The House of Commons is packed for the first time in two years with dozens of invited guests in the public galleries and most MPs taking their seats in person in what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says is a show of Canadian unity to support Ukraine.
Zelenskyy is asking Canadians to imagine what it is like to have your cities bombed, your homes burned, your cities destroyed.
Russia, says Zelenskyy, is trying to "annihilate" Ukraine.
Zelenskyy says he is grateful to the Canadian government but is desperate for more help including a no-fly zone to stop Russian planes and missiles.
"Every night is a horrible night," he said, speaking in Ukrainian.
"We are not asking for much. We're asking for justice, for real support."
Canada, as a member of NATO, has thus far resisted Zelenskyy's pleas for a no-fly zone, fearing it would escalate the crisis by forcing NATO forces to come into direct combat with Russian military.
Earlier today, Canada announced sanctions against another 15 Russian politicians and military leaders.
The list announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly includes Russia's deputy prime minister, the commander of the air force and several leaders of the Russian navy.
Joly says they all "enabled and supported" President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine launched almost three weeks ago now.
Zelenskky says the sanctions so far have not been enough and encouraged even more economic pain for Russia to ensure it has not a single dollar to support its war effort.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has intensified in recent days with more than two million people fleeing the country so far and airstrikes hitting the capital of Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said 97 Ukrainian children have been killed already.
Parliament is not scheduled to sit until March 21, but House Speaker Anthony Rota approved a special request to hold the address and allow guests to attend.
There are now more than 780 individuals in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus on Canada's sanction list and 203 entities including banks.
Canadians are barred from doing business with anyone or any organization on the sanctions list including property deals, financial transactions, or sale of goods.
While visiting Europe last week, Trudeau announced that Canada will send another $50 million of specialized equipment to help Ukraine and slapped new sanctions on Russian oligarchs, government officials and supporters of the country’s leadership.
Canada has also committed $145 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in 2022 and created new immigration measures to help people fleeing the war.
Zelenskyy addressed the British House of Commons on March 8 and is scheduled to speak to members of the U.S. House and Senate on Wednesday.
Trudeau invited Zelenskyy to speak to Parliament during his trip to Europe.
Government House leader Mark Holland then asked Rota to schedule the address in a letter, calling the Russian invasion “unjustifiable.”
“This would be an opportunity for Canadians to hear directly from President Zelenskyy about the urgent and dire situation facing the people of Ukraine,” Holland wrote.
Trudeau has pledged Canada’s ongoing support to Ukraine.
“President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people who are demonstrating so much courage and resilience — they're not only defending their country, they're defending the democratic values that are so important to all of us,” he said in a speech to the Munich Security Conference, a Berlin-based international think tank, on March 9.
NATO has rejected repeated pleas from Zelenskyy to impose a no-fly zone over the country, a move that Trudeau has said would lead to an unnecessary escalation in the war.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2022.
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