More than 175,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada...
On Friday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the Canadian Parliament as he continues his efforts to shore up support from Western allies for Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion.
Zelensky was scheduled to arrive at Ottawa’s airport late Thursday after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and lawmakers in Washington, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said.
Trudeau planned to greet Zelensky and also to speak in Parliament in Ottawa on Friday.
It is Zelenskyy’s first visit to Canada since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He previously addressed the Canadian Parliament virtually after the war started.
Zelensky and Trudeau are scheduled to go from Ottawa to Toronto to meet with the local Ukrainian community. Canada is home to about 1.4 million people of Ukrainian descent, close to 4 percent of the population.
The Ukrainian president is making the trip after stops at the United Nations and the White House.
Canada's U.N. ambassador, Bob Rae, said it is important for Zelensky to see the extent to which Canada supports Ukraine in the war.
“We have done a lot to help him and we need to do more,” Rae said. “We’re going to continue to do everything we can to support the Ukrainian people."
Canada has provided more than $8.9 billion Canadian (US$6.6 billion) in support to Ukraine in what Trudeau's government calls the highest per-capita direct financial support to Ukraine in the Group of 7 industrial nations.
Since the war has started more than 175,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada and an additional 700,000 have received approval to come as part of an initiative that supports temporary relocation of those fleeing the war.
The initiative allows for an open work permit for three years with pathways to permanent residency and citizenship.
Zelensky made his first official visit to Canada in 2019.
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