Parliament gave Zelensky a hero's welcome. He gave us something else: a cold dose of reality
CBC
More than 7,000 kilometres away, the guest of honour sat somewhere in the middle of a war zone. Standing on the floor of the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced "our friend" Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine.
The words "our friend" seemed to speak to something much more than personal rapport or even national connection. Zelensky is now both the focal point for a massive allied effort to defend his country. He's also one of the most admired political leaders in the Western world. His words and actions at a time of great danger have elevated him to heroic status.
"Volodymyr, in the years I've known you, I've always thought of you as a champion for democracy," Trudeau said. "And now democracies around the world have you as our champion."
The MPs, senators and invited guests in attendance stood and applauded for nearly a full minute.
But friendship means being able to speak directly and candidly — and that is what Zelensky did in his 12-minute address.
This was not Winston Churchill addressing Parliament in 1942 and mocking those who had predicted his country's defeat. Instead of swagger and soaring rhetoric, Zelensky sought to personalize the war — to shrink the distance between his war-torn country and the relative safety of his audience.
Zelensky asked Canadians to "imagine" their own country being attacked. Addressing the prime minister as "Justin," Zelensky asked Trudeau to imagine that it was his children hearing the impact of bombs falling on the airport in Ottawa.
What if an invading country was laying siege to Vancouver? What if the CN Tower was being bombed? What if Canadian flags were being ripped down by soldiers occupying Montreal? What if Edmonton was left undefended against aerial attacks? What if Canadian schools were the ones being bombed, Canadian children the ones being killed?
"Dear Justin and dear guests, can you imagine that every day you receive memorandums about the number of casualties, including women and children?" Zelensky asked. "I would like you to understand and I would like you to feel what we feel every day."
Zelensky's appeal to his audience's imagination built up to a request for intervention in the skies over Ukraine — for the one thing that allies, fearing the prospect of a wider war with Russia, have so far refused to provide.
"Can you imagine when you call your friends and nations and you ask to please close the sky, close the air space, please stop the bombing?" Zelensky asked. "How many more cruise missiles have to fall on our cities until you make this happen? And in return, they express their deep concerns about the situation … and they say, 'Please hold on, hold on a little longer.'"
The Ukrainian president acknowledged the other measures Canada has taken — the military and humanitarian assistance, the severe sanctions — but stated plainly that "you will need to do more to stop Russia."
"Old friends owe the truth," he said.
WATCH: Ukraine's president calls on Canada to do more
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