'We have to stop the suffering': Canada’s former minister of foreign affairs calls for more humanitarian aid in Ukraine

Winnipeg -

Canada’s former minister of foreign affairs is concerned there is not enough humanitarian aid for Ukraine and is pushing the federal government to expand support for those seeking refuge in Canada.

Lloyd Axworthy, who served as minister of foreign affairs during the Jean Chrétien administration, is currently the chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council (WRMC).

He said while there is a strong will amongst Canadians to give sanctuary to Ukrainian refugees, the most pressing need right now is to send direct resources to countries bordering Ukraine, like Poland and Moldova.

“They're taking the brunt of the work, and they are going to need an awful lot of help in terms of settlement and resources and food and all the rest of it,” Axworthy said in an interview on CTV Morning Live Winnipeg on Thursday.

The WRMC is pushing Canada’s federal government to extend commitments and support for Ukrainians seeking refuge in Canada.

The feds announced last week it is opening up two new immigration streams. One will allow an unlimited number of Ukrainians to come to this country temporarily with expedited emergency visas, and the other is a new family reunification pathway for those looking to stay permanently in Canada.

“There is an option, a choice to be made in terms of opening up a refugee program as opposed to a visa program. Those have to be done in cooperation with other countries,” Axworthy said.

In response to attacks on Ukraine, Canada updated its sanction list twice, adding 351 members of the State Duma, along with a handful of entities to the list, and imposing new prohibitions on Russian sovereign debt. In the second update, another 31 individuals and 19 entities were sanctioned, including top politicians and influential oligarchs.

Axworthy hopes that mounting sanctions and financial pressures will soften Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attacks.

“What that does, in terms of the domestic position of Putin, will bring him to the table with a little bit more sort of conciliatory approach, but you can't continue to watch the incredible atrocities taking place,” Axworthy said.

“There will be time when the international community can clearly look at the war crimes being committed by Russian commanders and particularly by the leadership and in the Kremlin. But right now, I think we have to stop the suffering because this is just out of control, and the Russians are totally ruthless with what they’re doing,” he said.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Aiello