On Тhe Way to Victory

On August 14, a successful fundraiser was held for Yvan Baker, who will be vying for the seat in the Ontario legislature in the next election, as the Liberal Party’s candidate in the riding of Etobicoke Centre.

The 175 people who came to financially support Yvan were welcomed in the back yard on Lake Ontario’s shore, of Myroslava Oleksiuk, editor of the online newspaper ePOSHTA.

One only had to take a few steps toward Lake Ontario, to feel the swoosh of the foamy waves rolling onto shore and enjoy the snow-white sailboats float by. The wide-brimmed, ancient trees gave protection from the sun.

The mood of those present was a reflection of this setting.

To recognize and speak about Yvan Baker there were: Derek Teeven, President of the Ontario Liberal Party; Ann Wood representing MPP Donna Cansfield (Etobicoke Centre); Dipika Damerla, MPP (Mississauga East-Streetsville); well-known Ca-nadian-Ukrainian politician Borys Wrzesnewskyj. Present were representatives of numerous organizations - Jamie Hunter, President, Etobicoke Centre Provincial Liberal Association; Oksana Rewa, President, Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Toronto Branch; Orest Stetsiv, President, League of Ukrainian Canadians, Zenon Potichnyj, President, Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce; Greg Adamowich, Vice-President, Ukrainian National Federation; Stephan Luckiw, President, Ukrainian National Youth Federation - Toronto Branch; Zenon Chwaluk, Treasurer UNF; Mary Szkambara, former President, World Federation of Ukrainian Womens’ Organizations and former President UCC (Toronto). The MC of the event was Markian Shwec, former President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Toronto Branch.

Here are some excerpts of what was heard in the official part of the event:

Markian Shwec: “I always supported Yvan. This is a person who has a unique capability. From a community standpoint, he has given and proven that he can give to the community. He has the smarts and intelligence to lead, not just as an MPP, but something much bigger... “

Ann Wood: “Donna had the pleasure and honour of nominating Yvan as the next candidate in the next general election and we are all very delighted.”

Derek Teeven: “ I think he is fantastic. I think he does represent for me and I hope for you the future of politics… He has great ideas and energy -what the party, what the province needs to do to be successful.”

Deepika Domerla: “He [Yvan] brings that unique mix of business and experience in the not-for-profit sector… what good is economic development if it does not lead to prosperity for everybody, not just the few. He brings that lens and that’s why we need him… having people like Yvan on the team makes it just a little bit easier to keep the faith.”

Borys Wrzesnewskyj: “When I brought Yvan into the office, as a newly-minted MP, … I watched him over a couple of years. And it can be difficult. People come into the office with problems... Yet Yvan met every person with a smile, but more than just a smile - he met them with empathy. And at the end of the day … he would continue working hard on their particular files. And he was meticulous about it.”

Yvan’s speech revealed a man who cares about the public good:
“This is quite a diverse group. Today we have with us community lеаders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, students, some of my work colleagues are here. Some of you are political, some of you a-political, some of you are Liberals, some of you are not. Some of you would probably never miss a Liberal event and some of you a few weeks ago thought they would never find themselves at a Liberal event.

That said, there is one thing that we all have in common. We all care deeply for our community and believe in the opportunity that Ontario provides. That is why I am running ... because I believe in these things and I want to help make our community and our province a better place to live.”

Then Yvan Baker touched on achievements in health care and education over the past ten years. However, he focused on the basis of the future success of Ontario: the importance of job creation, education, accessible and high-quality healthcare, infrastructure development, innovation, stimulation of economic development and so on.

In conclusion, MC Markian Shwec drew attention to the fact that the time is coming when Yvan Baker will need the help not only of all present, but everyone who believes in him and wants positive change in their lives. He urged the participants, their families, friends, the entire community to become Yvan’s “ambassadors” to help him acquire the utmost support from voters. And that means, “We are going to need you to be activists. And in the meantime to be speaking to everybody you meet about Yvan to let them know that there is a new candidate coming. Everyone has to be aware who Yvan is and we are the ambassadors of that message out to the community. And when that election is called, we are going to ask everyone of you to roll up your sleeves and to find 2, 3, 4 and 5 other people from your friends and family and people who believe in Yvan to show up and help. It will take a huge effort, but I believe we can do it. We have the best candidate – Yvan Baker!”

Contact Yvan Baker: 647-98-BAKER (22537) contactyvanbaker@gmail.com