MAIN THEME OF TOWN HALL MEETING WITH MPS:STEPPED-UP ENGAGEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA WITH UKRAINE
June 1, 2012 Etobicoke, ON Stepped-up engagement by the Government of Canada with Ukraine during the first half of 2012 was the focus of a Town Hall meeting at the Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Community Centre in Etobicoke, Ontario on Thursday, May 24, 2012. Three Members of Parliament: MPs Bob Dechert (Mississauga-Erindale), Ted Opitz (Etobicoke Centre) and Bernard Trottier (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) were guest speakers at a meeting attended by national and local Ukrainian community representatives.
Also attending were Paul Grod, National President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC); Orest Steciw, National President of the League of Ukrainian Canadians (LUC); Bohdan Onyschuk, President of the Canada Ukraine Foundation (CUF); Chrystyna Bidiak, past President of the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women (LUCW); Olyana Grod, National President of the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYM); Mykola Koshyk, National President of the Society of Veterans of UPA; Lisa Shymko, National Vice President of the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women and Chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Centre; Ihor Kozak, Chair of the LUC International Relations Committee; Oksana Rewa, President of the UCC Toronto Chapter; Peter Kardasz, President of the LUC Etobicoke/Mississauga Branch; Maria Kret, President of the LUCW Etobicoke Branch; Andrea Kardasz, President of the CYM Etobicoke Branch.
In cooperation with their National Executives, the event was organized by the Etobicoke/Mississauga and Toronto Chapters of the CCSU: League of Ukrainian Canadians (LUC), League of Ukrainian Canadian Women (LUCW), Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYM), and the Society of Veterans of UPA. Mr. Peter Kardasz, President of LUC Etobicoke/Mississauga Branch, opened the Town Hall meeting by thanking the Members of Parliament for their support for the Ukrainian Canadian community. He acknowledged the national and local leaders of the community in attendance and introduced the master of ceremonies for the evening, Orest Steciw, National President of the LUC.
Mr. Steciw noted that there have been a host of developments and initiatives since the New Year by our organized community and by our government. Among those developments were:
- the visit to Ukraine in February 2012, arranged by the Government of Canada, by a team of Canadian doctors to examine Mrs. Tymoshenko. The UCC was asked by the government to assist in assembling the medical team that was comprised of Ukrainian Canadian doctors;
- the hearings by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development concerning the study on Ukraine held in the House of Commons on March 5 and 7, 2012, which were initiated by the LUC, together with its partners in the CCSU, and with the cooperation of the UCC;
- the international conference “Ukraine at the Crossroads,” held on March 7 and 8, 2012 in Ottawa, under the auspices of the UCC and co-organized by the CUF and the University of Ottawa, with the LUC as a member of the Conference steering committee;
- the trip to Ukraine by MP Bob Dechert that same month, with the LUC helping to arrange a number of meetings for Mr. Dechert in Kyiv;
- the trip to Ukraine in April by the Hon. Beverley Oda, Minister of International Cooperation. Borys Potapenko from the LUC, Taras Pidzamecky from the UNF and Taras Zalusky from the UCC were members of her delegation;
- the historic trip to Canada in May 2012 to honour the Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Andrey Sheptytsky, by the hierarchs and leaders of religious confessions in Ukraine, including meetings in Ottawa with Prime Minister Harper and in Parliament, which was organized by the Ukrainian Jewish Encounter Initiative; - the trip to Ukraine in May 2012 by 7 members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development led by MP Bob Dechert, with three representatives of the Ukrainian Canadian community accompanying the delegation: Borys Potapenko from the LUC, Taras Zalusky from the UCC and Bob Onyschuk from the CUF; - the international conference “Assessing NATO/Ukraine Relations” that was held on May 19, 2012 in Chicago, on the eve of the NATO Summit. The conference was co-organized by the member organizations of the CCSU with their US partners and held under the auspices of inter alia, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and the UCC; and, - the upcoming meeting of the Canada Ukraine Advisory Committee that was held on May 31, 2012 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, including a working luncheon meeting hosted by the Honourable John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In introducing the first speaker, Mr. Steciw noted that “the focus of our meeting today is the most recent trip to Ukraine that took place in the context of the study on Ukraine by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International development led by MP Bob Dechert, Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Erindale; Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Member, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development; Member, Canada Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group.”
In his remarks, MP Bob Dechert thanked Orest Steciw and Borys Potapenko for initiating the call for a study on Ukraine by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development and for helping to facilitate the hearings. He noted the great interest that the hearings on Ukraine in the Standing Committee and the Conference “Ukraine at the Crossroads,” held in Ottawa the same week as the hearings, elicited from Members of Parliament and relevant government officials. He also noted that those events together with the visit by the Canadian doctors to Mrs. Tymoshenko led to two additional initiatives: first, the decision by Foreign Minister Baird to send him to Ukraine to try to visit Mrs. Tymoshenko and to meet with civil society organizations and political opposition groups, as well as government officials; second, the trip to Ukraine by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs that took place May 13-18, 2012.
Mr. Dechert described the hearings in the House of Commons and the conference “Ukraine at the Cross- roads” as providing important information on the current situation in Ukraine, and that the witnesses drawn from the list of conference speakers were of the highest order. As to his first trip to Ukraine in March, he noted with regret that the Ukrainian government did not allow him access to Mrs. Tymoshenko. During his week in Ukraine he was able to meet with members of the civil society coalition “Chesno”, as well as with representatives of opposition political parties from the Committee Against Dictatorship. Based on the hearings and conference earlier that month, taken together with his trip, the decision was taken for the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs to travel to Ukraine in May to continue the Committee’s study on Ukraine.
Mr. Dechert noted that prior to that visit, the Honourable Beverley Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, undertook a visit to Ukraine in April 2012 to review first-hand the CIDA programs and projects underway in the country. During her 10 day trip Minister Oda met with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Azarov and other Ministers in Kyiv. The delegation conducted roundtables and other meetings with representatives of oblast, regional and local government officials, including CIDA administrators and local project partners from Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk, which included a visit to Dnipropetrovsk. They also met in Kyiv with representatives from civil society groups and opposition party representatives, and visited the National Holodomor Museum. The week-long May 13 to 18, 2012 historic trip by the 7-member delegation from the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development to Ukraine consisted of numerous roundtable style meetings, working lunches and special meetings and events held in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv. They included a broad spectrum of experts and monitors of the social, political, and economic and human rights situation in the country representing officials from the government, civil society NGOs and political parties. The meetings began in Kyiv on Monday, May 14, 2012 with two sessions on imprisoned political leaders, first with family and attorneys from Mrs. Tymoshenko, Lutsenko and Ivashchenko. This was followed by a session with representatives of the prosecutor’s office, human rights ombudsperson office, penitentiary service and Ministry of Justice. These meetings were followed by a working lunch with the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Verkhovna Rada, Mr. Oleh Belorus. That afternoon two additional sessions were held on economic reforms and business development. A final session was held with former Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada, Yuri Scherbak, and Dmytro Pavlychko, past Chairman of the Committee Against Dictatorship. The first full day of meetings was concluded with a reception in the Canadian Embassy on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and Ukraine. The next day, Tuesday, May 15, 2012 in Kyiv, meetings began by hearing from representatives of opposition parties, including: Hromadyanska Pozytsia, Svoboda, BYT, Front Zmin and Udar. At the next session on media freedoms, the Canadian MPs heard from representatives from Ukrainska Pravda, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, TVi and ICTV. The afternoon session centered on the upcoming parliamentary elections with presentations by representatives of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Committee of Voters of Ukraine (CVU) and Opora. Also, appearing at the session was former CEC chairman Yaroslav Davydovych. Following this session the delegation of Canadian MPs visited the National Memorial Holodomor Museum, after which they departed for Kharkiv.
In Kharkiv on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 the Standing Committee met with representatives of human rights, civil society, and media organizations, including the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Foundation for Local Democracy, Institute for Regional Press and Information, and the ATN television channel. This extended session was followed by a working lunch with the mayor of Kharkiv and officials from the oblast administration. Before departing Kharkiv the Canadian MPs visited the hospital where Mrs.Tymoshenko is held, as well as the prison where Mrs. Tymoshenko is being incarcerated.
Having returned from Kharkiv to Kyiv on Wednesday evening, the delegation was to fly to Lviv the same night. Because the flight was canceled, the delegation decided to travel to Lviv by bus, nine hours, all night, arriving at 7:30AM Thursday morning. Without any rest, the Canadian MPs convened their first session in Lviv. The first session in Lviv was with local government representatives to discuss regional economic development, including CIDA programs and projects. Next was a working lunch with the mayor of Lviv, and representatives of the oblast administration and city council.
That afternoon, two sessions were held on the political situation. The first session was with representatives from the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU), the Memorial “Prison on Lonsky” Museum, and the Express newspaper, which was followed by a session with Batkivshchyna, Svoboda, Front Zmin and the Republican Christian Party. Before departing Ukraine on Friday, May 18, 2012 the Canadian MPs paid their respects at a mass grave to Jewish victims of Nazi atrocities in Sambir.
The participants at the Town Hall meeting were then shown a video of the impromptu press conference that Mr. Dechert conducted at the gates of the hospital in Kharkiv where Mrs. Tymoshenko was held. Borys Potapenko assisted Mr. Dechert as his interpreter. Also, a slide show of pictures was presented from the meetings in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Lviv.
During his presentation at the Town Hall meeting, as well as at the impromptu press conference in Kharkiv and at the formal press conference in Lviv, Mr. Dechert stressed the importance of Ukraine to the people and government of Ukraine by stating that Canada is perhaps the most Ukrainian country outside Ukraine, and that every Canadian is either of Ukrainian heritage or has a close friend or colleague who is Ukrainian. He said that Ukrainians were a part of virtually the very beginning of Canada as an independent country, and that for 120 years Ukrainians have made an indelible mark in the making of Canada into a prosperous, democratic, united and secure country and society. For this the people of Canada will always have a special place in their hearts for Ukrainians and Ukraine. Mr. Dechert also noted the concern over the incarceration of Mrs. Tymoshenko, Mr. Lutsenko, Mr. Ivashchenko and others and called for medical attention to be extended to all of them, and for them to be released and allowed to participate in the election process.
He also underscored that the hearings held in Ottawa on March 5 and 7, 2012 together with the meetings held in Ukraine from May 13 to 18, 2012 will be the basis for a report to Parliament by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. He also noted that he expected the report to be submitted, debated and adopted by the House of Commons before summer recess.
Mr. Dechert concluded by saying that the delegation to Ukraine was composed of representatives of the Conservative, New Democratic and Liberal parties in the House of Commons, and that they were all in agreement on the situation in Ukraine and the way forward. The Members of Parliament who formed the delegation were: Bob Dechert, M.P., Mississauga-Erindale; Lois Brown, M.P., Newmarket-Aurora; Dave Van Kesteren, M.P., Chatham-Kent-Essex; Nina Grewal, M.P., Fleetwood-Port Kells; Linda Duncan, M.P., Edmonton-Strathcona; Alexandrine Latendresse, M.P., Louis St-Laurent; Ralph Goodale, M.P., Wascana.
Following Mr. Dechert's presentation, MP Bernard Trottier was introduced by Christine Czoli, National Executive Member of the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women and the Vice President of the Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union, who also was a young LUC volunteer who worked on Mr. Trottier’s election campaign. Ms. Czoli noted that Etobicoke-Lakeshore is the riding where our community centre is located and where a large segment of our Etobicoke/Mississauga Ukrainian Canadian community resides. She also noted that Mr. Trottier is a member of the Canada Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Mr. Trottier spoke extensively about his recent trip to Georgia for a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He noted that at the meeting in Tbilisi, Ukraine was a major subject. He also said that he and his colleagues from the House of Commons, who accompanied him, met with the Ukrainian delegation to the OSCE meeting in Tbilisi during which he expressed to the Ukrainian delegation Canada’s concern over the situation in Ukraine, including the incarceration of Mrs. Tymoshenko and for free and fair elections in the fall. Mr Trottier found the government of national unity in Georgia inspiring in the way the country has united in doing away with corruption and in standing up to the Russian threat. He hoped that Ukraine will soon follow in Georgia’s footsteps. Next, Olyana Grod introduced MP Ted Opitz. Ms. Grod is the National President of the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada. In introducing MP Opitz, Ms. Grod recalled that during the past 12 months Mr. Optiz has been an active and indispensible help to the community in engaging his colleagues in parliament on Ukraine issues. Ms. Grod also noted that she has been keeping Mr. Opitz informed about and working with him in her capacity as a member of the UCC election observer program for the October 28, 2012 parliamentary elections in Ukraine.
In thanking Ms. Grod, Mr. Opitz stated that it has been a pleasure to work with her, and that she is a wonderful example of the young leaders in the Ukrainian community, who will assure Ukraine’s place as a leading community in the social, cultural and political fabric of Canada.
Keeping to this same theme, Mr. Opitz noted that the Ukrainian Canadian community is a shining example to other ethnocultural groups in Canada on how to organize and how to get things done. He stressed how important unity has been in making the Ukrainian Canadian community a strong voice on behalf of important issues here at home and abroad, including in Ukraine. He recalled the recent trip to Canada by the leaders of all confessions in Ukraine and what an inspiration it was to meet with them, and what an honour it was to have the opportunity to deliver a statement in Parliament on the legacy of Metropolitan Sheptytsky. Mr. Opitz underscored the importance of the upcoming elections in Ukraine by saying that he will support sending a large and strong observer delegation, including long-term observers. He proposed working with military veterans and major corporate leaders to leverage their experience in logistics and intelligence to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the observer delegation. As a former Canadian military officer, he also said that he will work to enlist the support and participation of his colleagues among veterans and among his fellow MPs, and that he will make every effort to be an observer at the elections in October of this year.
Following Mr. Ted Opitz, Zenon Ciz led a lively discussion and question and answer period. Zenon is a member of the LUC National Executive and sits on the Board of the LUC Etobicoke/Mississauga Branch. He also is a leading member of the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYM).
The evening concluded with remarks by Mrs.Maria Kret, President of the LUCW Branch in Etobicoke, who concluded the Town Hall meeting by saying: “Dear Mr. Bob Dechert, Mr. Bernard Trottier and Mr. Ted Opitz: Thank you for being with us tonight. Your presentations and those of our community representatives who work directly with you and your staffs were truly inspiring and give hope. Our hope is that with the help of our fellow Canadian citizens and our government, and that of other nations that are friends of Ukraine, our ancestral homeland will soon reach the day when the blessings that have made Canada the envy of the world- independence, freedom, democracy, civil society, rule of law, tolerance and good relations with its neighbours-will also be upon Ukraine. May God’s blessings also be upon you, your families and your colleagues in Parliament, and may God continue to bless Canada and Ukraine.”
