TORONTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will speak to the Canadian Parliament on Friday as part of his campaign to bolster support from Western allies for Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion.
Zelensky flew into Canada’s capital late Thursday after meetings with US President Joe Biden and lawmakers in Washington. He spoke at the United Nations’ annual meeting Wednesday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who also planned to speak to Parliament on Friday, gave Zelensky a warm welcome on the tarmac at Ottawa’s airport.
It is Zelensky’s first visit to Canada since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He previously addressed the Canadian Parliament virtually after the war started.
After their speeches, Zelensky and Trudeau are scheduled to go to Toronto to meet with the local Ukrainian community. Canada is home to about 1.4 million people of Ukrainian descent, close to 4 percent of the population.
Canada’s UN ambassador, Bob Rae, said it is important for Zelensky to see the extent to which Canada supports Ukraine in the war.
“We have done a lot to help him and we need to do more,” Rae said. “We’re going to continue to do everything we can to support the Ukrainian people.”
Canada has provided more than $8.9 billion Canadian ($6.6 billion) in support to Ukraine in what Trudeau’s government calls the highest per-capita direct financial support to Ukraine in the Group of 7 industrial nations.
More than 175,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada since the war started and an additional 700,000 have received approval to come as part of an initiative that supports temporary relocation of those fleeing the war. The initiative allows for an open work permit for three years with pathways to permeant residency and citizenship.
Trudeau’s office said Canada has provided $1.8 billion Canadian ($1.3 billion) in military aid, including tanks, artillery, armored vehicles and ammunition.
Zelensky is facing questions in Washington about the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has helped keep his troops in the fight against Russian forces.
Ukrainian troops are struggling to take back territory that Russia gained over the past year. Their progress in the next month or so before the rains come and the ground turns to mud could be critical in rousing additional global support over the winter.
Zelensky made his first official visit to Canada in 2019.
Zelensky to speak before Canadian Parliament in his campaign to shore up support for Ukraine
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Zelensky to speak before Canadian Parliament in his campaign to shore up support for Ukraine
- After their speeches, Zelensky and Trudeau are scheduled to go to Toronto to meet with the local Ukrainian community
- Canada’s UN ambassador, Bob Rae, said it is important for Zelensky to see the extent to which Canada supports Ukraine in the war.
Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.
The U-Haul truck, with its side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window.
The police department confirmed its officers were on the scene but didn’t immediately say if anyone was arrested.
Two people were evaluated by paramedics and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Several hundred people had gathered Sunday afternoon in the Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian theocracy. The LA police department eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5 p.m. only about a hundred protesters were still at the scene, ABC7 reported.
Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran’s capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again Sunday.
