Mr. Borys Wrzesnewskyj (Etobicoke Centre, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, this week, the European Union introduced visa-free travel for citizens of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko hailed this historic milestone, calling it ‘the fall of the paper curtain’ between Ukraine and the liberal democratic West, and Business Ukraine magazine referred to this day as “Ukraine’s Berlin Wall Moment.”
Since Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in 2014, walls and obstacles to Ukraine’s transition into a strong, consolidated western liberal democracy continue to fall. It is time for Canada to study the removal of visa restrictions between Canada and Ukraine, the last Soviet legacy dividing our two countries.
In the meantime, let us work with Ukraine to reinstate the Youth Mobility Agreement between Canada and Ukraine to allow young Ukrainians and young Canadians to travel to our respective countries and enrich their professional and personal lives by experiencing all the benefits each of our countries have to offer
