November 22, 2024
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Here at Halifax, we know what it is that we are working to secure. Halifax International Security Forum is the most consequential meeting of its kind anywhere in the world because we deliberately link democracy with security. It is our guiding principle. Without democracy, there is no real security.
Every single year that he attended Halifax International Security Forum as Senator from Arizona, John McCain reminded us of this guiding principle. John McCain lives on here at Halifax International Security forum and still reminds us every year of the fundamental connection between democracy and security when we award the annual John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service. And this year, we have a two-fer.
I am so happy to announce that Vladimir Kara-Murza is freed from prison, home with his family and with us this weekend to receive the 2024 John McCain Prize. Vladimir, I know Senator McCain is so proud that you, his close friend, will be receiving the Prize this year. Welcome. And welcome back Evgenia. You are a hero, too.
As well, Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan from 2016 to just 6 months ago and international icon for freedom and democracy is here with us to formally receive her 2020 John McCain Prize that we only now have the honor to give her in person. And to learn directly from her.
Presenting both awards tomorrow is Senator McCain’s son, Jack. Jack, welcome back. We are awarding Vladimir at 800 tomorrow morning right here. And Dr. Tsai at 1715, also right here.
To emphasize our point about unbreakable relationship between security and democracy, tomorrow morning right after receiving the Prize, Vladimir will moderate a conversation with fellow heroes, people who, like him, put everything on the line for democracy in their country: Masih Alinejad from Iran, Leopoldo Lopez from Venezuela, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya from Belarus, and Ngo from Hong Kong.
Now, none of our inspirational programming exists without the support of our generous partners. First among them is the Department of National Defence, thank you and also the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, ACOA. Laura Lee Langley thank you. Quite simply, we wouldn’t be here without you.
I want to thank CLUB HFX: The Pro-Democracy business club that most generously supports our work.
Nancy Southern, Calgary-based ATCO Group Chairman and CEO, I want to give you a special shoutout for your longstanding and generous support. Thank you and welcome back!
Thank you, Boeing, for your steadfast support.
And although they can’t be here this weekend, I want to thank Calik Holding and OYAK from Turkey for their continued support.
And I am proud to report that we have 3 new Club HFX members in 2024, Representing Google is Kent Walker, AWS is Shannon Kellogg and from Pansophico is Jerry Tilk. Thank you, each of you, for your confidence in what we do.
Together, Club HFX ensures that the work we do here this weekend, and throughout the year, will continue. In short, without them, there would be no Halifax International Security Forum.
Nancy, Al, Heidi, Kent, Shannon and Jerry and senior members of their teams will be identified this weekend by their gold lobster lapel pin: when you see them, please do take a moment to stop and say thank you to them for their very generous support. Thank you for your very generous support.
I want to also thank American Edge, Apple, CADSI, CAE, CCC, MDA Space, Saab: we can’t do this without you.
Thank you also to NATO and to the European Union. Thank you IPSOS for your generous cooperation. Thank you, POLITICO, and new this year CPAC, our media partners.
President Vjosa Osmani Sadriu of Kosovo is here, welcome back.
Speaker of Ukraine’s Parliament, Speaker Stefanchuk is here. Welcome. In the Ukrainian system, the Speaker is the Number Two official in the Government after President Zelenskyy. Speaker, we are proud to have you. Thank you for everything you are doing to protect all of us from Russia’s aggression.
The Chair of our Board of Director is Canadian icon Professor Janice Stein. US Ambassador Mark Lippert is our Vice Chair: Janice, Mark: thank you for your leadership.
Treasurer Ahmet Tacyildiz of Turkey, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović of Croatia, Dr. Luis Rubio of Mexico and JJ. Omojuwa of Nigeria, and our newest Board Member, just this morning, Dean Fealk from the People’s Republic of Northern California: Thank you, each of you, for your wisdom and guidance and support. We have the best Board of Directors. We also have the best team, who put this weekend on for you. Please thank them when you have the chance.
Thanks to Minister Blair, we have the largest delegation of Canadian Members of Parliament. Welcome everybody.
And last but not least, the Americans.
Admiral Fagan, Admiral Paparo, General Saltzman, welcome.
Over the course of the past two weeks, it seems like every one of you in this room called me to ask who was coming from the incoming Trump administration. I don’t know. Maybe some of you in this room will go into the government.
What I do know is that the United States Congress is a co-equal branch of government and if you didn’t know that before now, after this weekend, you will know it, too.
With us is an incredible Congressional Delegation and I am so grateful to Senator Shaheen and Senator Risch for leading it once again. Thank you, Senators. We look forward to honoring you this evening with our Builder Award.
Senator Rounds, welcome back: It is so good to see you! And Senator Kaine, congrats on the win and welcome back to a place where, yes, everyone knows your name.
Senator Klobuchar, welcome for the first time. You might find the weather familiar, if not the food. And Representative and Senator-elect Kim: Welcome: so glad you are here.
Together, your delegation represents a so important voice at this moment and we will all be looking to you to explain, really, what is going to happen next?
Welcome.
Now I know that I suggested at the top that I wasn’t going to talk about world events.
But at the same time, since you all traveled long distances to get here, I might be negligent if I didn’t say at least say a few words.
Ukraine.
For the third year running, the survival of Ukraine’s democracy is on the agenda here at Halifax.
And for the third year running, we advance the argument that every international issue is linked to Ukraine’s victory over Putin’s Russia.
Taiwan’s security, indeed all of East Asia, Israel’s security and the future of the Middle East, Africa, Latin America—every international issue is directly linked to Ukraine’s victory over Putin’s Russia.
Victory.
Judging from today’s reports in traditional and social media, we might be forgiven for believing that Ukraine can no longer win the war against Russian aggression.
However, this widespread forecast is not true.
It was not true when all the experts said the same thing on February 24, 2022, the date Putin invaded.
And it is not true now. This conventional narrative is all a jumble of doom and gloom.
And here at Halifax this year, we are going to change this doom and gloom narrative.
You see, there is nothing new about this type of defeatism.
The dustbin of history is filled with leaders who have preferred to avoid conflict than to stand firm and fight for what is right.
At the birth of the United States in 1776, loyalists to the British crown said it was impossible for a new nation to successfully declare its independence from Great Britain, the most powerful empire on earth.
Thankfully, being outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered and outplanned, the phrase made famous by the Broadway musical, Hamilton, did not stop American patriots from taking a stand.
Fighting for liberty.
If George Washington had been swayed by the cowards of the time, and had France equivocated and stopped supplying weapons and supplies to the American colonies at the very moment when the situation looked most dire, there very well might not be an independent United States of America today.
In fact, in many ways, Ukraine today is fighting its War of Independence.
Similarly, in World War Two, a more recent but no less consequential war, many observers believed, including in the United States, that Europe should simply surrender to Hitler and avoid the death and destruction that standing against his armies might bring.
In addition to admiring many of Nazi Germany’s policies, including inhuman antisemitism, these cowards argued against supporting European democracies, including Churchill’s United Kingdom, because German forces were larger and stronger and the smaller European countries could not possibly win.
Going as far back as David’s slingshot, history is filled with the underdog winning battles that the experts said were impossible to win.
The defeatists were wrong in World War Two. The defeatists were wrong during the American Revolution. And those who say that Ukraine cannot win today’s war against Russia are also wrong.
But it is worthwhile to take a second to remember, accurately, how we got here.
Somehow the narrative on that became a little jumbled up as well.
Today’s conventional narrative suggests that Canada, the United States and Europe, NATO, the EU all became unified the moment Putin attacked Ukraine.
This is also false.
When Putin attacked Ukraine, the democracies were divided.
The democracies only became unified when President Zelenskyy stood firm and showed the world that he was unmovable.
It was only when President Zelenskyy famously said that he did not need a ride, he needed ammunition, did the democracies become united.
Had President Zelenskyy flinched, Russia would have taken all of Ukraine, divided Europe and really threatened NATO.
The whole world would be in a much, much darker place.
For this we all owe President Zelenskyy and indeed all Ukrainians, eternal gratitude.
In fact, next year is already 2025: a quarter of this century will be in the books.
For his courage, and his commitment to the universal values of freedom and democracy, it is not too soon to identify President Zelenskyy as the greatest person of the 21st Century.
Ukraine defended Kyiv and then pushed the world’s largest land power back. It was incredible.
But somehow, also incredibly, in this era of instant gratification, Ukrainian success immediately turned to calls and expectations for a massive counter-offensive.
Without the planes and the weapons that it needed and without the permission to use the weapons it did have the way they needed to be used, Ukraine was fighting with at least one hand tied behind its back.
And then, then, all of us were then told that there was no way Ukraine could win this war against the much bigger, more powerful, Russia.
We’ve just passed 1000 days of war in Ukraine. 1000 days of displacement. Of missing children. Of rape. Of death. 1000 days of terror.
But we’ve also just hit 1000 days of courage. 1000 days of determination. 1000 days of Ukrainian strength and resolve.
If Ukraine is not exhausted after these 1000 days, how is it even possible that its friends and its allies say that we are tired?
And now, to top it off, an old word is being tossed around loosely as if it is something new. Peace.
Peace is not a mere word. It is not a new idea. Peace is the goal. Peace is the highest aspiration of all humanity. Of course it is.
At the same time, we have learned, through war and sacrifice, that the absence of conflict is not the same thing as Peace.
More often than not, the absence of conflict only means more and greater conflict down the road.
The truth, that we all know, is that there can be no real peace until Russia is out of Ukraine. Putin has shown the world who he is. He is a dictator. He is a rapist. He is a murderer. So let us not be fooled. There can be no real peace until Russia is out of Ukraine.
1000 days. After 1000 long days, I guess it is easy to forget that other wars last much, much longer.
The American War of Independence lasted eight long years, 1775-1783.
World War Two was fought for six brutal years before victory 1939-1945.
There is no doubt that war is hell.
Tragically, however, some evils are solved only by war.
Successful war against the British was the only mechanism for giving birth to the United States.
And successful war against Hitler was the only means to end Nazi tyranny in Europe.
Both victories set the world on a better course.
Now, once again, the world is calling out for unity of purpose among democracies. Should the democracies work in stride, we can move together toward a new, prolonged era of real and shared prosperity. Of Peace.
Today, in Halifax, we have a choice. We can choose the existing narrative that we’re headed to era of division, a dark, dangerous era of more violence and more war.
Or we can change the narrative. And we can stand together with Ukraine until victory, leading to a new era of optimism around the world.
Let’s choose victory.
Welcome to Halifax.
Minister Blair: the podium is yours.