A Conservative MP said a future Conservative government would renegotiate the Canada-Ukraine trade deal so that it no longer includes any reference to carbon prices.
A government bill ushering in the latest version of the deal passed the House of Commons last week. The only party to vote against it was the opposition Conservative Party.
Conservative MPs say this is not because they don’t support Ukraine, but because the deal requires both countries to push for a price on carbon.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Pierre Poièvre’s Conservative Party over his position, accusing him of copying the U.S. Republican Party in its efforts to cut aid to Ukraine.
Poièvre denied that his party’s support for Ukraine was declining, instead accusing Trudeau of using the issue to distract from mounting economic concerns.
In the face of persistent criticism, Conservative MPs, many of whom are from Western Canada, where there are large Ukrainian-Canadian populations, have in recent weeks called for more arms to be sent to Ukraine.
Manitoba MP James Bezan highlighted that support in a recent interview with the network serving the Ukrainian-Canadian community.
He said references to carbon prices in trade deals were a Liberal “poison pill” that the Conservatives could not support.
“We have no intention of including a carbon tax in any trade agreement, including the one with Ukraine,” Bezan, the party’s defense critic, told Ukraine’s Contact TV.
“We will form a government in the next election and renegotiate the free trade agreement.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poièvre said his party does not support modernizing the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement because it involves promoting a carbon price.
He said the new “better” deal would also “ensure” more “insurance”.
A future Conservative government would ensure that Canada and Ukraine’s defense systems cooperate better, so Ukraine has the ability to produce its own weapons, Bezan said.
After last week’s vote, Poièvre said the Conservatives would not honor what he called the “carbon tax amendment” but outlined what he intended to do with the deal. I couldn’t do that.
He defended his party’s vote against the latest bill, saying it was Stephen Harper’s Conservative government that pioneered the free trade deal in the first place.
Conservative MP Ed Fast, who was trade minister at the time, also said on Tuesday that he understood his party would renegotiate the deal.
Conservative Party spokesman Sebastian Skamski said only that the party plans to “strengthen Canada’s trade relationship with Ukraine and repeal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s harmful and costly carbon tax provisions.” I will tell you.
power and politics38:39House of Commons votes to pass updated Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement
February 6, 2024 – The updated Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement is passed with support from the Liberal Party, the National Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois. Conservative MPs voted against the bill. Power & Politics speaks with Ontario Liberal MP Francesco Sorbara and NDP foreign affairs commentator Heather McPherson. In addition, we bring you the reaction from the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Trade Minister Mary Ng said Tuesday that Ukraine is seeking to better align its policies, including environmental provisions, with the European Union.
The newly signed contract will help make that happen, she added.
“I would say to the Conservative Party: Why are they interfering?” she said. “Ukraine negotiated this.”
Ukrainian groups said they expected all parties to support a bill implementing the agreement signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a visit to Canada last September.
The president of the Ukrainian-Canadian Parliament sent a letter to Mr. Poièvre last November requesting a meeting to discuss the trade deal and the party’s support for Ukraine.
“I will be writing to him again to let him know that I am ready to meet at any time to discuss Canada’s support for Ukraine,” the group’s president, Alexandra Szygi, said in a statement Tuesday.
![A thin dark-haired woman in a red scarf and a black coat stands on a grassy lawn. She holds a pin in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6632552.1707862420!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/alexandra-chyczij-national-president-of-the-ukrainian-canadian-congress.jpg)
![A thin dark-haired woman in a red scarf and a black coat stands on a grassy lawn. She holds a pin in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.6632552.1707862420!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_780/alexandra-chyczij-national-president-of-the-ukrainian-canadian-congress.jpg)
He said Congress is pleased that the bill passed the House and urges senators to pass it quickly. The bill must pass the Senate before becoming law.
“However, we were disappointed that (the bill) did not pass unanimously. Unity in support of Ukraine is of unprecedented importance at a time when Russia is waging a war of genocidal aggression against Ukraine.” It has a sexual nature,” Hitchge said.
Liberals argue the deal will help Canadian companies support Ukraine’s eventual recovery from the war that began nearly two years ago.
Canada has spent $2.4 billion on military weapons and other equipment for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, and millions more on other aid.