CANADA ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR UKRAINIAN DEMOCRACY, SECURITY
On 18 March Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Rob Nicholson, announced three initiatives to support Ukraine’s continued efforts in building a more peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future for its citizens. The announcement, which was made on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, focused on Ukraine’s democratic development, an area in which Canada has regularly contributed to in the past.
The newly announced funding, totaling $7.1 million, will be distributed amongst three projects: $1.2 million to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to support the administration and coordination of elections; $3 million to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to strengthen reform on transparency and anti-corruption in the Ukrainian political process; and $2.9 million to the National Democratic Institute to help Ukrainians practice transparent election financing and promote women’s political empowerment.
As stated by Minister Nicholson, the projects will help to improve the participation of citizens, particularly women, as well as to enhance civil society engagement in the electoral reform process.
“These measures to promote democracy are yet another demonstration of the concrete actions Canada is taking in support of the people of Ukraine. It is our moral duty to stand with Ukrainians and defend their right to determine their own future, and in defence of the rules of our international system” the Minister said during a teleconference.
The funding comes on the one year anniversary of Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. “One year ago, the world witnessed the illegal annexation of Crimea, and today the Putin regime continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Nicholson. “Despite this, the Ukrainian people have achieved remarkable progress toward ensuring a democratic and prosperous future. As we commend the Ukrainian people for their courage and resilience, Canada reiterates its commitment to support them in the face of Russian aggression and calls upon Russia to fully implement its Minsk commitments and get out of Ukraine.”
From the beginning of the crisis in late 2013, Canada has been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine. Since January 2014, $568 million in assistance to Ukraine has been announced by the Canadian Government. This funding has helped support economic stabilization, democracy and human rights, humanitarian assistance, and security.
As the crisis evolved, so did Canada’s role in contributing to the overall security in the region. Since May 2014 Canadian Armed Forces members have been involved in a number of collective training exercises with NATO allies in Poland, Germany, Lithuania, and Latvia. Currently, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment are participating in Exercise Summer Shield, a NATO military training exercise at Camp Adazi in Latvia which aims at improving and enhancing military interoperability amongst NATO forces in the Baltic region.
Exercise Summer Shield, which will run from March 22 to 31, 2015, is a joint training exercise also intended to demonstrate NATO’s resolve and unity to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Approximately 45 Canadian soldiers joined their counterparts from Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Germany, and the United States for the multinational exercise, which will bring together a total of more than 1,100 NATO troops for live-fire training exercises.
There are currently approximately 200 Canadian soldiers are headquartered in Glebokie Training Area in the area of Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland.
As stated by Minister Nicholson, the projects will help to improve the participation of citizens, particularly women, as well as to enhance civil society engagement in the electoral reform process.
Exercise Summer Shield, which will run from March 22 to 31, 2015, is a joint training exercise also intended to demonstrate NATO’s resolve and unity to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Approximately 45 Canadian soldiers joined their counterparts from Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Germany, and the United States for the multinational exercise, which will bring together a total of more than 1,100 NATO troops for live-fire training exercises. 
