Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to journalists on Feb. 17, 2022.The Associated Press
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya won Belarus’s presidential election in 2020 according to observers but wasn’t permitted to take office. She lives in exile in Lithuania.
During the Second World War, Ivonka Survilla and her family escaped the Soviet gulags in Belarus. In 1944, just eight years old, she fled to the West with thousands of other refugees. Since 1997, she has led a Belarusian government-in-exile, called the Rada or Council, from Ottawa.
After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, which occurred in Ukraine but saw much of the contamination affect neighbouring Belarus, Ms. Survilla created a Canadian charitable foundation, and provided millions of dollars worth of medicine and assistance. Belarusian kids from the Chernobyl area famously sought shelter in Canada for rehabilitation.
The stories of both Ms. Survilla and the Rada highlight the deep ties between our two nations. Canada today has the fifth-largest population of people of Belarusian origin outside Belarus. Our shared histories fill me with excitement as I embark on a visit to your great nation.
This is my first visit since I ran for election against Alexander Lukashenko, the tyrant of Belarus and Europe’s longest-sitting and most repressive ruler.
Two years ago, I decided to stand in place of my husband, Siarhei, after Mr. Lukashenko’s security service – terrified to face the will of the Belarusian people – locked him up to serve an 18-year sentence, along with exiling or jailing every other potential opponent.
When I put my name forward, I had slim hope that the will of the people would prevail. Yet, I was astonished to see tens of thousands of photos of ballots with a mark next to my name flooding the internet. In the evening, after they were denied, thousands went to protest in Minsk’s city centre, kick-starting a revolution in the country that continues to this day.
Belarusians voted for me, but the election was stolen. Like Ivonka, I now fight for my country from exile and look forward to meeting her during my trip to Canada.
The Rada has always made clear it would hand its mandate to a freely elected Belarusian government. After decades of repression, this would finally have been possible if Mr. Lukashenko had not crushed the will of the people once more, with the help of Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
A democratic Belarus would not have tolerated Mr. Putin’s plan to invade Ukraine. So, in a bid to prop up his old Soviet ally, the Russian President provided financial support, propagandists, and prepared an invasion force – and in return, he secured Mr. Lukashenko’s support for the tragic invasion.
Mr. Lukashenko’s unpopular backing of Mr. Putin’s unlawful war should hasten his end. Millions of Belarusians are furious that Russian troops were allowed to march through our lands before launching their failed attack on Kyiv.
Mr. Lukashenko has placed Belarus right at the centre of this crisis. Yet, it is also part of the solution. Overthrowing Mr. Lukashenko would accelerate victory for Ukraine. And Ukraine and Eastern Europe will be secure when Belarus is free.
Canada has played a pivotal role in the West’s response against Russia’s illegal invasion, including freezing and confiscating Russian assets located in Canada. We call on Ottawa to enact the same laws against Mr. Lukashenko and his cronies.
Like others in the G7, Canada has levelled sanctions against Mr. Lukashenko and his regime. But they have not been enforced in full, because the regime uses loopholes to evade them. We need more monetary and secondary sanctions targeting the state enterprises that fuel Mr. Lukashenko’s repression apparatus and Mr. Putin’s war machine.
Punishing Mr. Lukashenko’s autocracy should avoid inflicting harm on innocent Belarusians. Canada should be careful not to discriminate against Belarusians in Canada. Companies whose founders have Belarusian passports should not be subject to restrictions, unless the specific persons or companies are under sanctions.
Canada could also provide financial support for families of political prisoners. Just like after Chernobyl, rehabilitation programs for young Belarusians would show them the advantages of true democracy. I know how powerful this can be – as a kid, I participated in such a program in Ireland. It changed my life forever.
In August, I created the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus to bring major political groups together. We are not waiting for Mr. Lukashenko or Mr. Putin’s regimes to collapse, but are preparing Belarus in advance. And this cabinet will defend Belarusian independence and ensure the democratic transition until new elections take place. Canada’s working relations with the Cabinet would help Belarusians defend their independence and bring freedom and democracy to their country.
With the help of Ms. Survilla, Canada, and our other Western allies, the people of Belarus will prevail.