Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting in Toronto

By Walter Derzko and Dr. George Foty

The Canada Ukraine Chamber of Commerce (CUCC) held its Annual General Meeting on May 19, 2011 at the Brazen Head Pub in Liberty Village in west-end Toronto. The meeting was well-attended by over fifty members and their guests. Special invited guests included the Honourable Oleksandr Danyleiko (Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto), Paul Grod (President, Ukrainian Canadian Congress), Yvan Baker (Head of UCC Ontario Provincial Council) and Oksana Rewa (President of UCC Toronto).  A new board of directors was elected and approved by the membership and Zenon Potichny was successfully re-elected to start another one-year term as President.

After the formal part of the AGM was concluded, CUCC Vice President Bohdan Onyschuk introduced the Guest Speaker for the evening, Bernard Trottier, the newly elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore, who spoke about commercial and cultural opportunities between Canada and Ukraine.

Bernard Trottier, who hails from St. Paul, Alberta, informed the audience that while growing up in Alberta, he was surrounded by icons of Ukrainian culture, such as the large Easter Egg- Pysanka in Vegreville, Alberta.

Trottier recalled the feedback he received from voters during the recent election campaign. When he asked new immigrants why they came to Canada, the answer was unambiguous: jobs; opportunities for business; and a better life for the family. He stressed in his speech that the essential fundamentals of business success both in Canada and Ukraine are the same: basic freedoms; democracy; human rights and rule of law. But this can only exist in an environment of freedom of expression and a free press, which is being jeopardized in Ukraine now.

Success in fostering democratic ideals is ensured by individuals having the opportunity to talk directly with other individuals, preferably without government intervention, said Trottier. This is being made possible through initiatives such as the recent Youth Mobility Agreement, which was signed during Prime Minister Harper’s trip to Ukraine last year.

The main section of Trottier’s speech outlined the current intergovernmental projects between Canada and Ukraine. After consulting with political leaders in Ukraine, the Government of Canada initiated six projects which match the needs specified by Ukraine. Each initiative has a designated Canadian partner working with its counterpart in Ukraine. The six joint initiatives are summarized below.

1) State Customs Service Capability

This project is to provide assistance to improve and maintain the flow of goods across borders by enhancing the categorization of goods and the application of appropriate duties. The Canadian partner is the Canadian Border Services Agency.

2) De-Centralized Management of Skills Training

This project is designed to help Regional Administration and Vocational Schools in Ukraine develop and implement job training designed to meet the changing needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  It will be delivered at the college level with the support of the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education in Ukraine. Canadian partners include: The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges.

3) Support for Economic Growth and Development of Local Municipalities

The focus of this project is the achievement of practical improvements in municipal economic planning and delivery of services that support economic development in ten cities in the Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine. The Canadian partner is an NGO, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

 4) Improving Regional Economic Development Planning

The partners in this project are mainly focused on using evidence-based analytic planning tools to better inform the economic planning process in selected regions and municipalities of Ukraine. The Canadian partner is the Conference Board of Canada.

5) Extension of Regional Governance and Development

The goal of this project is to help Ukraine implement and successfully pilot a regional strategic planning model that could be expanded to the national level. From its side, the Ukrainian government is to implement training programs and policies to assist and promote regional development. The Canadian partner here is the Canadian Urban Institute, an NGO.

6) Juvenile Justice Reform

The aim of this project is to identify the key institutions needed to deliver a Juvenile Justice System supported by a national legislative and policy framework, including training for judges and other staff in the Juvenile Justice system. The Canadian partner is Agriteen Canada.

Trottier concluded his remarks by saying that the total commitment from Canada for all these projects was in the range of $40 million, but that the real significance here was in the readiness of Canada and Ukraine to cooperate in attempts to improve conditions in Ukraine.

In appreciation, CUCC President Zenon Potichny thanked Bernard Trottier, noting that the Member of Parliament and CUCC are located in the same riding, and expressed his desire for Mr. Trottier to be the channel and the bridge of cooperation between the federal government and the CUCC. Further, he said that Ukraine and Canada are considered close partners in political and business issues, and that it is important for both countries to secure a free trade agreement. This will increase trade and direct investment in the two countries.

During question period, Potichny reminded the audience that the CUCC has already held preliminary talks with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) about partnering with them and the Canadian Urban Institute to initiate a small and medium enterprise development project in Ukraine.  MP Trottier endorsed this idea, adding that the creativity, energy and initiative that he sees in this room were positive indications, and that these types of new initiatives and partnerships were quite feasible in the future. In closing, Trottier wished the CUCC and its members continued success in further developing progressive and positive relationships between Canada and Ukraine.

PHOTO

1 - L. to R.: John Iwaniura, 1^st VP CUCC, Bohdan Onyschuk, VP CUCC, Zenon Potichny, President CUCC, Bohdan Leschuk, Executive Director, Oleksander Danyleiko, Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto

2 - L. to R.: Re-elected CUCC President  Zenon Potichny and newly-elected MP for Etobicoke Lakeshore, Bernard Trottier