The Canadian government is sending an additional $100 million in humanitarian assistance to help Ukrainians, and as of later this week Russian ships will be prohibited from entering Canadian ports and internal waterways in response to Vladmir Putin’s continued unprovoked attacks on Ukraine.
The pair of announcements came as the federal cabinet met on Parliament Hill Tuesday morning.
International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a sxjmtzywtatement that the $100 million will help “respond to immediate needs arising from the Ukraine crisis.”
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This includes emergency health services like trauma care; support for displaced populations; as well as shelter, water, food, and sanitation supplies.
It will be going to what Global Affairs Canada is calling “experienced partners” to address the pressing on the ground needs in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled.
The latest aid commitment follows a previous federal pledge to send Ukraine $25 million for humanitarian supports.
“The lives of the children of Ukraine have been thrown into chaos. Their classrooms have been replaced by bomb shelters. Their playgrounds have become battlefields. Their beds have become the hard ground,” said Sajjan in the statement.
Cabinet colleague and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra also announced Tuesday that, effective later this week through a special economic measure order, Canada is banning Russian-owned or registered ships and fishing vessels from entering Canadian ports and internal waters.
“Russia must be held accountable for its aggression in Ukraine. Canada will continue to do what is necessary to respond,” said Alghabra in a statement.
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Joyce Murray said in the same statement that the Canadian Coast Guard and its members will play a role in helping to enforce this new order.
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A Ukrainian flag flies on a flagpole at Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. The flag is being flown in recognition of the recent invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
