North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney recently participated in the NATO Parliamentary Association (NATO PA) meeting held in Vilnius, Lithuania, where parliamentarians from the 30 NATO countries gathered to discuss concerns of security.
According to a media release from Blaney, a main priority of this meeting was to work together on how to best support Ukraine. Multiple ministers from Ukraine spoke at the event in the different committee groups, according to Blaney. She also heard from deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration Olha Stefanishyna, and minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba.
“Participating in the NATO PA when there is a war in Europe is significantly different than past conferences I have attended,” stated Blaney. “Both Ukrainian parliamentarians and the ministers shared their lived experiences of the war. What they disclosed will stay with me for the rest of my life. I was able to share some of the amazing work happening in our riding to support Ukraine and messages of love and solidarity I have heard from my constituents.”
The release stated that in the NATO PA, Blaney participated in the economics and security committee and the democracy and security committee. Serious conversations about the impacts of climate change and the military resources were central to the discussion, the release stated. Discussions included acknowledging greenhouse gas emissions that come from military activities, as well the need for the military to be involved in responses to climate crisis realities, according to the release.
“I heard repeatedly that the increased impacts of the climate crisis will result in more climate refugees and violence,” stated Blaney. “Important and urgent work needs to be done on this file across all the member countries. Investment in this work is critical and must happen now.”
According to the release, the last event of the NATO PA was a lunch meeting with Ukrainian MPs Yehor Chernihiv and Galyna Mykhailiuk.
“Hearing the realities on the ground is hard,” stated Blaney. “The impacts on Ukraine are profound. The discussion focused on how our countries can continue to collaborate during this time and how we can plan for the long haul. I was also able to share some stories from our riding of the work being done to support Ukrainian families who have come to our region.”
