York-Simcoe MP Scot Davidson was in Poland this week, meeting with Ukrainians fleeing their country due to the ongoing war with Russia.
"The strength and defiance of the Ukrainian people is clear to see under these terrible circumstances, and an inspiration to us all," Davidson wrote in a Tweet on March 15. "Canadians – including residents of York-Simcoe – stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine."
On his return back to Canada yesterday, he described the situation in Poland as chaotic and disorderly, as people, mostly women and children, flee their homes, families and nation.
Along with Willowdale MP Ali Ehassi, they flew to Poland after discussing ways in which they could help.
"We were sick of what was going on in Ukraine and said it would be nice to get a first-hand account of what's going on and what the needs are," said Davidson, noting many of his constituents in Bradford are of Ukrainian descent.
The pair rented a car and drove to the Medyka border, one of the busiest, taking in Ukrainian refugees. Approximately 30,000 were expected to enter in 10 hours while they were there.
"When you get close to it, your stomach knots up. It's just a mass of humanity coming over the border," he said. "It's a very small walkway, you can well imagine the amount of people coming through."
The MPs brought along four suitcases full of supplies for soldiers and toys and candy for the refugee children.
"Four suitcases is like a grain of sand, but a lot of grains of sand add up to a big pile," said Davidson. "I think what was strange for us, we were taking helmets, flak jackets and yellow tape...That (the yellow tape) identifies you as Ukrainian, so soldiers don't shoot at you...that's what brought it home. This is a war zone."
Davidson saw a man near the border, who just sits and plays piano for the people, in an effort to lift spirits. He spoke with Ukrianian refugees who had nothing but shopping bags of items and the clothing on their backs.
"Talking to these people, listening to their stories, they are so stoic," said Davidson, calling the Ukrainians "tough people."
Davidson met with a U.S. veteran who was there helping train Ukrainian soldiers to fight. The two people he had been training had just been killed in an airbase attack 15 miles away.
"That's a story in itself," said Davidson.
Davidson and Ehassi also travelled to the town of Premsyl, where there is currently a closed mall crammed with refugees in cots.
"Just think in your head, 20,000 people living in Upper Canada Mall until they have somewhere to go — with three washrooms and no showers," said Davidson.
He spoke with two ladies who had lost everything in the war and had fled from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, by train, to Poland. It took the women four days to arrive, after having to get off and on the train 20 times due to bomb scares. Passengers would have to jump off the train every time and hide whenever they heard sirens along the route.
"Their hands were just shaking violently," described Davidson.
On Tuesday, Davidson watched Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak to Canadian Parliament from Poland.
"It's a desperate situation for the Ukrainian people. They're in a fight for their life," he said.
When asked to comment on NATO and Canada's decision to deny Zelenskyy's request to close Ukraine airspace over concerns that it could potentially spark a world war-scale conflict, he said it makes sense.
"No one wants an expanded war but when there are bombings on innocent civilians, a humanitarian corridor would make sense. It's women and children trying to flee. It's unacceptable," he said.
On the same day as the address to Parliament, the Russian Foreign Ministry released the names of 313 Canadians banned from entering the country.
The black list includes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly and Minister of National Defence Anita Anand, as well as most MPs, including Davidson.
But the blacklisting didn't phase him much.
"I don't even know what to comment on that," he said. "I never planned on going to Russia."
He believes the list was just a stunt by Russian president Vladimir Putin.
"I think it just shows the despicable nature of his (Putin's) regime," he said. "This is one man's war. the Russian people unfortunately are being completely left in the dark, taken advantage of, it's sad to see when you're there. This is one man doing all this. It's just heartbreaking."
