Ignatieff
alienates many Ukrainian-Canadians
By Oksana Bashuk Hepburn,
The
Is
In his little book Blood
and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism, Michael Ignatieff, now
leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, belittles Ukrainians: “Ukrainian
independence conjures up images of embroidered peasant shirts, the nasal whine
of ethnic instruments ...” and reverts to historic self-aggrandisement of the oppressor
over the hoi polloi.
“My difficulty in taking
Ukraine (its sovereignty) seriously goes deeper ... I’m also what Ukrainians
call a Great Russian, and there is a trace of old Russian disdain for these
‘little Russians.’ ”
Such chauvinism, couched in
redneck language coming from a Canadian as late as 1995, is shocking,
particularly in light of exposed genocides of Ukrainians under imperialism from
Ignatieff’s “great
Rather than apologize,
Other than underscore the
belligerent nature of
Instead of mending fences
with the Ukrainian Canadian community and, for that matter, most liberal-minded
Canadians, who would squirm at the tone and content of his little tome’s
messages were they familiar with it, Ignatieff has made things worse.
A few weeks ago, he turfed
Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal MP for Etobicoke Centre and Critic for Citizenship
and Immigration and Multiculturalism, from the shadow cabinet. Wrzesnewskyj was
the only voice of Ukrainian-Canadians in the group. Now they have none.
It is the leader’s
prerogative to make appointments, a determination based on many factors. Appeal
to voters, past performance, regard in the party and favours owing all figure
in the decisions, but regional representation and equal access of Canadians to
power sharing is not to be overlooked lightly.
In his decision, Ignatieff
seems to have let his “blood and belonging” to the Great Russian syndrome get
in the way. He dismissed not just an MP but, once again, the entire
Ukrainian-Canadian community as being unworthy of serious treatment, and with
it their contribution to making Canada an agricultural powerhouse; their
present numbers and influence in the West; and a winsome Liberal emissary with
access to Canada’s Central and East European communities.
Not a prescient start of a
winner. Ignatieff might have done better by asking Wrzesnewskyj to organize a
meeting with the leaders of the Ukrainian Canadian community and admitting the
Russian “colonial-speak” in his monogram is outdated and dangerous.
This would have done more
to mend fences with Canadians who abhor Soviet crimes against humanity. More,
it would have shown the Liberal leader is steeped in
But Ignatieff chose
differently. Unlike
This behaviour has more in
common with the arrogant Russian rather than Canadian politician. This should
worry Liberals and all Canadians.
Oksana Bashuk Hepburn is the retired
president of U*CAN Ukraine Canada Relations Inc. and a political commentator.