Despite the Liberal government's strong commitment to supporting Ukraine, many Canadians are uncertain about the continued aid, according to recent in-house research by the Privy Council. Blacklock's Reporter says federal focus groups indicated that Canadians are no longer closely following news from Ukraine and are questioning the purpose of billions in aid.“It was felt Canada’s contributions had not had much of an impact and that Ukraine’s efforts to end the conflict had stalled with little hope for peace in the foreseeable future,” wrote researchers. The report, dated February 21, came six months after Ukraine’s president addressed Parliament.“A large number expressed gratitude that they lived in Canada, which they viewed as being far removed from military conflicts in other parts of the world and highly unlikely to experience invasion by another country,” said the report, Continuous Qualitative Data Collection Of Canadians’ Views. The findings were drawn from focus groups under an $814,741 contract with The Strategic Counsel.“Many shared that while they had previously followed the conflict quite closely, they were no longer as well-informed as they had once been,” the report stated. “For most, this was either due to declining personal interest in seeking out information related to the conflict or the impression that information was no longer as accessible through news and social media sources as it had once been.”To date, Canada has budgeted $12.4 billion in aid for Ukraine. Canadians are increasingly ambivalent about the aid and its impact, wrote researchers.Some focus group respondents said they “were no longer as worried about the conflict as they had once been,” the report noted. Other Canadians “expressed concerns regarding the potential impacts this conflict could have on the Canadian economy and fuel prices.”While some Canadians expressed concerns about “global security,” others were worried about “the financial cost of this ongoing support and whether these funds should instead be used to help Canadians in Canada who were currently struggling to make ends meet,” the report stated.“Several questioned how long the Government of Canada could feasibly support the defence effort in Ukraine and worried this conflict would continue for years to come,” wrote researchers. “A few shared the opinion Canada had become too closely involved in geopolitical conflicts such as those in Eastern Europe,” they added.Cabinet has pledged ongoing aid to Ukraine until it “wins the war,” Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters during a 2023 Toronto visit by Ukraine’s prime minister. “We will be there until Ukraine wins the war,” said Freeland.“I know all Canadians are inspired by the remarkably brave people of Ukraine,” Freeland stated. “Canada is also resolute. We want to make sure Ukraine wins and will win this war.”
