Parliamentary Interns Meet Wrzesnewskyj with Davydovych

Ottawa – On October 17, Liberal M.P. Borys Wrzesnewskyj hosted a surprise meeting between Mr. Yaroslav Davydovych, former Chief of Ukraine’s Central Electoral Commission, and the university student interns from Ukraine participating in the 17th annual Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program (CUPP). The special meeting, and the informal dinner that followed, took place in the historic East Block of Canada’s Parliament.

Mr. Davydovych, the legendary figure from Ukraine’s Central Electoral Commission who refused to sign off on the fraudulent second round of the 2004 Presidential Election and then testified before judges on the rigged voting during the Orange Revolution, was a personal guest of Mr. Wrzesnewskyj’s during the Throne Speech and the opening of the Second Session of the 39th Parliament [of Canada].

In his opening remarks to the gathering of CUPP students, Mr. Davydovych underscored the importance of the interns using their opportunity wisely, working in Canadian MP Offices. He expressed an enthusiastic readiness to work with young people, like the CUPP students, who are the future hope for Ukraine’s full development into a democratic and civil society. He took the opportunity to share his views on the current situation in Ukraine and its relationships with the World. Following his comments, Mr. Davydovych engaged students in a question and answer session focusing on the electoral system in Ukraine and the current political situation, local power, decision making bodies, and many other issues.

During the second half of the evening, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj conducted  an informal and engaging discussion with the CUPP interns about Canada’s parliamentary system, his observations as an official OSCE Election Observer during the recent parliamentary election in Ukraine, as well as his views about the current situation in Ukraine, Russia and the United States:

“It is always an honour to have an opportunity to engage and exchange views with CUPP interns when they come to Ottawa. Many of the young up-and-coming leaders of Ukraine are graduates of this worthy and forward thinking program, and I am always re-energized by the idealism and commitment to making Ukraine a better place exhibited by CUPP interns. It is my hope that CUPP will continue to provide this important educational program helping these future leaders of Ukraine gain invaluable Western parliamentary experience,” stated Wrzesnewskyj.

The Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program was established in 1991 to mark the centennial of Ukrainian group immigration to Canada by Mr. Ihor Bardyn who continues to run the program to this day. It is one of the most successful student internship programs in operation in the Parliament of Canada.