Candidate: SAUL BOTTCHER Constituency: BRAMPTON CENTRE Party: GREEN PARTY of CANADA 1a) Do you support the imposition of sectoral sanctions against Russia's energy, defense and financial services (including removing Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments system) sectors to compel the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops, armies and weapons from Ukrainian soil? YES. I also support any additional sanctions which are reasonably likely to compel a Russian withdrawal, even if those sanctions temporarily impact the Canadian economy. 1b) Do you support providing Ukraine with lethal, defensive weapons to protect itself in the face of Russia's continued aggression and invasion of the Eastern Ukrainian oblasts of Luhansk and Donetsk? NO. This would ultimately harm Ukraine. Whatever weapons Canada can supply, they do not match what Russia has available. Russia will simply respond with additional weaponry or forces as necessary. Therefore, all Canada's supply of weapons would ultimately do is make the conflict more lethal, not change the outcome in favour of Ukraine. Furthermore, by supplying arms, we would risk transforming the conflict into a proxy war, potentially re-starting the cold war (to a further degree than Putin has already done), and giving Russia political fuel to blame the conflict on outside forces rather than Russia's own irresponsible actions. 1c) Do you condemn Russia's illegal occupation? YES, in the strongest possible terms. It is a reckless action which has harmed innocents and increased global political instability. 1d) Do you support the listing of the Luhansk "People's Republic" and the Donetsk "People's Republic" as terrorist organizations? Do you support listing the Russian Federation as a State sponsor of terrorism for its continuing role in the invasion of eastern Ukraine and the shoot down of flight MH17 in July 2014? NO and NO. Applying these designations does not accomplish anything for the Ukrainians involved in the conflict today. Everybody already knows that Russia's actions are immoral. The actions we need to take to resolve the situation are not dependent on terrorist designations being applied. 2a) Do you support the establishment of October 28 as the annual day of commemoration of Canada's First National Internment Operations (1914-1920)? YES. Thank you, -- Saul Bottcher Green Party of Canada - Candidate, Brampton Centre [email protected] 905-791-2349 .