As images from the war in Ukraine make headlines, we Canadians should take a moment to remember just how fortunate we are.
Heartbreaking photos of parents saying tearful goodbyes to their children as they’re rushed to safety while everyday citizens remain to guard the frontlines from a Russian invasion. Major Ukrainian cities live under the threat of airstrike while innocent lives have already been lost. One particularly poignant photo being circled through social media depicts an 80-year-old man enlisting in the Ukrainian Army to fight for his grandchildren. That’s what we’d call a real freedom fighter. An image of thousands of Russian citizens protesting its own government’s invasion, risking serious consequences by doing so, is a very encouraging sight. Talk about a protest for freedom.
Meanwhile in Canada many people can only feel helpless reading the news of the horrors unfolding in Europe. According to CBC, Canada is home to the second most Ukrainian immigrants in the world, second only to Russia. Odds are pretty good that if we’re not related to someone from Ukraine, we at least know someone with roots that can be traced back there. Even if there is no connection, it would be nearly impossible not to feel empathy for people who are forced to fight for their country’s survival against a super power hell-bent on taking over for no valid reason other than they feel they have the might to do so. When stacked up against the problems of people currently living in the Ukraine, many of our issues here don’t seem so dire.
As disturbing as the news of the attacks have been, reports of the small but determined group of Ukrainian forces holding back Russian advancement is inspiring. So too has been the response from countries around the world who are standing with Ukraine. While first instinct might be to send soldiers over to defend innocent lives, there is of course the very real risk that doing so would be sending our own brave men and women to die. There is unfortunately the very real reality that the Russian war machine is a powerful one and the escalation to a full-scale world war is not something to be taken lightly. Fortunately there are other, non-lethal ways to stand up to a tyrant and in many ways they are more effective. Hitting Russia with sanctions levied on select banks is already reportedly causing major headaches for the Kremlin. While doing so poses a certain level of risk for the countries that do it, it’s simply the right thing to do.
Least of all, we as Canadians can use this moment to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to enjoy safety and freedoms of which others around the world can only dream. As the word ‘dictator’ and ‘tyrant’ has been thrown around rather loosely of late towards Canadian government the last couple of months, the grim reality of what’s going on in the world around should serve as a serious reality check.
-Adam Prudhomme