MP Nash Applauds Ukrainian Internment Victory

OTTAWA- NDP MP Peggy Nash (Vice Chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group) was very pleased that the Government of Canada announced [on May 9] that they will present $10 million to the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko. This funding will establish an endowment fund to support initiatives related to the First World War internment experience that affected a number of ethnic communities in Canada.

“This resolution is such an important step in the history of Ukrainian Canadians and I have worked hard to push the government on this issue. Thousands of Ukrainians were unjustly imprisoned during the First World War and suffered inhuman conditions in labour camps—one of them at the border of my (Toronto) riding of Parkdale-High Park. The recognition of this injustice by the Canadian government in 2005 was an essential first step, but reaching such a positive settlement with the community is even more significant.”

“The Ukrainian Canadian community has worked for over 20 years to get to this point and it has been well worth it. Since Canada cannot turn back the clock on the internment, the $10 million will be used to make sure that people never forget this dark period, but more importantly, future generations will learn from it as the initiative promotes understanding and tolerance among Canada’s ethnic communities.”

“As an election observer in the last two Ukrainian general elections, I had the privilege of travelling to Ukraine and, being immersed in the culture, I returned to Canada with an even greater appreciation for all the community has brought with them and maintained over the years. Ukrainian Canadians deserve the recognition and opportunity that the settlement offers them and it brings me great joy to share this victory with them.”