Yulia Kovaliv, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada, participates in a luncheon event hosted by the Canadian Club of Ottawa in Ottawa on Thursday, March 30, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada is urging Canadian businesses to see her country’s eventual recovery as an economic bonanza worth investing in.
Yuliya Kovaliv says at a lunch event for corporate groups in Ottawa that her country is focused on winning the war against Russia’s invasion, but that the next step will be a rebuilding of major infrastructure and services in Ukraine.
She says Ukraine will need a Marshall Plan-style funding package to get back on its feet when the war ends, and Canadian businesses should strategize about what role they can play.
Finland’s ambassador to Canada, Roy Eriksson, also says Canadian firms can help replace his country’s trade with neighbouring Russia, saying both are familiar with designing products that work in cold climates.
The pair say Canada has grown much closer to European countries since Russia’s invasion a year ago, with Finland joining NATO and the EU looking to Canada as a partner on energy and critical minerals.
But neither ambassador looks to Canada as a major supplier of fossil fuels, with both talking about switching to renewables or buying oil from other European countries.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2023.
