UCCLA Meets with First World War Endowment Committee

The Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA) recently concluded its 10th annual conclave in Vernon, B.C.

       Over the weekend of October 24-25, priorities were discussed and goals set for the upcoming year for the national lobby group, and the 21st of 24 internment memorial plaques was installed at the Edgewood internment camp site in the West Kootenays Mountains region of B.C.

“The community of Edgewood embraced this event as its own, and will forever claim  ownership of this memorial” said conclave organizer Andrea Malysh of Vernon. “We were pleasantly surprised at how many residents not related to internment events also came with their children to see the plaque installed, taking an interest in this little-known historical event.”

The UCCLA laid plans to organize a global Holodomor awareness and education campaign. Outside Canada and Ukraine, awareness of the genocide of the Ukrainian nation in the 1930s is low. Often, it has been discovered, the issue is clouded with disinformation by groups or individuals opposed to the notion that Ukrainians were starved to death in the millions in an artificial famine. The UCCLA generated an action plan and fundraising ideas to begin remedying the situation.

For the first time, the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund endowment council (www.internmentcanada.ca) was introduced to the UCCLA, the group tasked with disbursing the endowment fund established by the federal government in 2008 to memorialize Canada’s First National Internment Operations of 1914-1920. The UCCLA was pleased to meet members of Canada’s Serbian, Croatian and Hungarian communities taking an active role with Ukrainian Canadians, and continues to urge members of all communities in Canada to apply for a grant from the committee to help commemorate Canada’s First National Internment Operations from 1914-1920.

The UCCLA also discussed the presence of veterans of the KGB and alleged Soviet War Criminals in Canada and laid down plans for the further pursuit of justice regarding Soviet war crimes.

In addition, the UCCLA also made preliminary plans to install memorial plaques at the three Canadian internment sites that have not yet been commemorated: Montreal, Lethbridge, Alta., and Halifax. As well, the group made plans to host next year’s UCCLA conclave at Montreal, to coincide with the commemoration of the First World War internment camp in that city.

For more information on UCCLA, please visit http://www.uccla.ca

For more information on the CFWWIRF, please visit www.internmentcanada.ca