St. Catharines council urges federal government to continue supporting Ukraine ‘militarily’ until end of war
‘History has shown us that pussyfooting around with tyrants never works’
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St. Catharines city council threw its support behind Ukraine for the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion after an hour-long discussion that included a debate over military aid.
Council urged the government of Canada to support Ukraine “morally, economically, financially and militarily” until “the resolution of the war in a manner agreeable” to Ukrainians and the Western democratic world.
“I’m asking for a resolution that the City of St. Catharines and council show support and solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in their time of hardship and suffering over the last year at the hands of the Russians,” said St. George’s Coun. Kevin Townsend, who made the motion Monday night following the first anniversary of the invasion on Feb. 24.
Townsend said St. Catharines has welcomed nearly 600 people displaced by the war and is welcoming more every month. He added “all people of St. Catharines” are standing together with Ukraine until the end of the war and peace is found.
While Canada is already supporting Ukraine with military aid, three of the four speakers who addressed council by Zoom Monday night argued against including military support in the motion.
St. Catharines resident Saleh Waziruddin told council they need to ask the federal government for a negotiated peace, not escalating global conflict.
Tamara Lorincz, a PhD candidate at the Balsillie School of International Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and a member of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, asked council to amend the motion and urge the federal government to support Ukraine by stopping the weapons and the war and instead sending diplomats for a negotiated peace.
And Glenn Michalchuk, national president of the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians based in Winnipeg, told council peace and diplomacy have been “distinctly lacking” in the Canadian government’s response to the war.
“Canada must emphasize the need to bring peace to Ukraine and act accordingly. The strategy of more weapons to support more war has been a failure,” he said.
But Irene Newton, president of the Niagara branch of Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said everyone wants peace but you can’t ask Ukrainians to sit back and let the Russian armies continue to fight, burn and tear everything down.
“How do you negotiate a peace with someone who says ‘the only way to negotiate this is you give us all of the land that we want, all of the areas that we want, get rid of your Ukrainian language and become Russian speakers’?”
Port Dalhousie Coun. Bruce Williamson agreed and said sometimes “you have to stand up to bullies.”
“History has shown us that pussyfooting around with tyrants never works. (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is not a person who responds to anything other than force and it’s unfortunate,” Williamson said.
“I wish there was a diplomatic or peaceful solution, but first there’s going to have to be a show of force to let him know that there’s support in the world for our Ukrainian friends and allies.”
St. Andrew’s Coun. Joe Kushner, a first generation Ukrainian Canadian, said to achieve peace, the occupiers must be defeated.
“We as Canadians have an obligation to Ukrainians who want the same freedoms that we as Canadians have, and that is to support Ukraine not only with praise but also with appropriate weapons to defeat evil, the Russian aggressor, and to bring peace to the region.”
The motion wasn’t unanimous though.
Merritton Coun. Greg Miller made an amendment to remove the word “militarily” from the support request.
“Unfortunately, military solutions to conflicts like this aren’t realistic,” said Miller, adding they haven’t been borne out in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I think this wording more accurately reflects that we are supportive of those who are suffering under the invasion, that we are supporting the Ukrainian Canadians — those throughout Canada and in St. Catharines — and we are focused on a peaceful resolution to the conflict there.”
The amendment was supported by St. Patrick’s Coun. Caleb Ratzlaff, who explained his grandmother came from Ukraine as a Mennonite and was a pacifist who inspired him to always work for justice and peace, especially during times of war.
The amendment lost 11-2. Miller and Ratzlaff then abstained from voting on the overall motion to support Ukraine, which received 11 votes in favour from the rest of council.
“Nobody here wants war. Nobody is arguing in favour of war,” said Mayor Mat Siscoe.
“But ultimately, the Russian government started this war and providing the Ukrainians the ability to ward off the aggressor with military means is an obligation on the rest of the democratic world.”
The final motion included an addition by Kushner urging the Canadian government to encourage a peaceful resolution of the war.
The motion was the second adopted by city council in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
On Feb. 31, 2022, council passed a motion condemning the Russian invasion as “an attack on democracy and freedom” and asked the federal government to welcome people fleeing from the country.
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