‘These are brave women and men’: Ford welcomes Ukrainian refugees, promises jobs and settlement

Premier Doug Ford openly welcomed Ukrainian refugees to Ontario, where he says jobs and settlement services will be waiting for them.

Ford said he is in discussions with the federal government about how Ontario can help resettle people fleeing after Russia invaded Ukraine — a country whose capital city is now being subjected to explosions and gunfire.

“I am asking the federal government to welcome more Ukrainian refugees to Ontario,” Ford said at a press conference in London, Ontario. “These are brave women and men who more than anything need safe harbour right now and at a time when our province needs more people.”

Canada has promised to prioritize immigration applications from Ukraine. On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of a new hotline for people with immigration questions related to Ukraine.

“We need to speed things up, expedite people fleeing the tyranny that Russia has put on Ukraine,” the Premier said. “I’m going to be speaking to the federal government over the weekend and hopefully this afternoon to see what Ontario can do to speed the process up.”

Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said companies have been in touch to offer up job openings for Ukrainian refugees. He said 20,000 spots have already been offered from one union, and the province is open to welcoming more people.

“I come from one of the largest Ukrainian communities in Canada and Etobicoke-Centre,” Ford continued.

Ontario’s Big City Mayors passed a resolution at a Friday meeting recognizing Ukraine’s sovereignty. The group resolved to “call on the federal government to welcome those fleeing the conflict with Ukraine into our country with open arms.”

Ontario has pledged to spend $300,000 in humanitarian aid to support Ukrainians in need. The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is to distribute the funds.

Later on Friday, Ford and the provincial government directed the LCBO to stop selling Russian products, such as vodkas, across locations in Ontario.

Ford said his government also looking into other economic measures against the country. He said his government is assessing all the trade Ontario does with Russia, and he plans to discuss options with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

“I’ll throw everything in the kitchen book at these guys,” he said.

Trudeau and the federal government announced additional targeted sanctions on Friday. The Prime Minister said it’s the first time the country is explicitly handing out sanctions to Putin directly.

Trudeau also says Canada confirms its support to remove Russia from SWIFT, a critical part of the global banking system.