UCPBF President Meets Ontario Speaker Peters

By Michael Wawryshyn

In keeping with its mandate, the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Federation (UCPBF) sent a letter to the Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Ontario’s Premier, requesting that his government consider formulating a bilateral agreement with some governmental jurisdiction in Ukraine. In the correspondence, the UCBPF indicated that similar bilateral agreements have been successfully enacted with the three Prairie Provinces and that Ontario should consider doing likewise with some political districts in Ukraine.

A copy of this letter was sent to the Speaker of the Ontario Legislature, Steven Peters, along with copies of the working agreements signed by the Province of Alberta and Ukraine, as well as with a copy of a letter of understanding signed by both Ukraine and the Honourable Monte Kwinter, then a Minister in Premier David Peterson’s cabinet in the early 1990s. However, little came to fruition with this latter document as opposed to those signed by the Prairie Provinces and the respective jurisdictions in Ukraine.

Subsequently, on March 13, UCPBF President Michael Wawryshyn met with Steven Peters in his Speaker’s Office at Queen’s Park to discuss the UCPBF’s request and the following points:

a)      Canada has declared that a “special relationship” exists between Canada and Ukraine;

b)     The proposal is most timely because it would support those forces in Ukraine supporting a Western orientation for Ukraine as opposed to a Russia oriented one;

c)      Ontario’s perspective would be broadened, leading to a more global outlook as opposed to the current more narrowly focused U.S. perspective;

d)     Such a bilateral agreement would not be a foreign aid package, but one that should be mutually beneficial for both parties.

The nature of the Prairie Provinces’ initiative was outlined, briefly stating that these bilateral agreements primarily emphasized the areas of immigration, education and higher education, cultural exchanges and trade and commerce. Saskatchewan has even gone as far as to create Canada-Ukraine Advisory Committee comprised of government officials and members from the Ukrainian Canadian community. To further support our position. I raised the point that Ontario had two senior bureaucrats at the January 15^th, 2008, meeting of the Canada Ukraine Advisory Council.

Steven Peters was most receptive to the UCPBF’s proposal and stated that he would raise the issue with the Premier and with the relevant Ministries. Several possible oblasts in Ukraine were discussed as potential partners in any future bilateral jurisdictional agreements. It was agreed to exchange relevant information relating to UCPBF proposal as the need arises.

The meeting was a positive first step in the right direction. A lot of work still needs to be done to ensure the fruition of proposed bilateral agreements between selected oblasts in Ukraine with the Government of Ontario.