by Walter Kish

Several weeks ago, I was invited by the Ukrainian Professional and Businessmen’s Association to participate in a panel discussion on the future of Ukrainian Canadian organizations. Joining me on the panel was Markian Shwec, a young professional executive in the banking industry and a prominent Ukrainian activist. We two had been invited, at least in part, because we represented unofficially, the two major Ukrainian nationalist organizations in Canada. I have been brought up primarily within the UNF system, while he came from the SUM/League organization. Most of the Ukrainian community would identify these two groups as the “Melnykivtsi” and the “Banderivtsi” respectively, attesting to their political orientations on either side of the bitter and divisive schism within OUN prior to World War II. That division carried over to this side of the world, and for most of the past five decades, these two political camps have engaged in a rivalry that has had its fair share of antagonism and conflict, despite their common origins and virtually identical political goals.

Growing up within either system, there was a constantly reinforced awareness of that large divide between “Us” and “Them”. The leadership of the two organizations fostered, sometimes tacitly and often overtly, a continuing atmosphere of antipathy, ideological conflict and minimal or no cooperation with the other faction. This permeated down throughout the respective levels of the organization and led to a serious and damaging polarization within the Ukrainian community in Canada. Fifty years of this has created the Ukrainian equivalent of the “Two Solitudes”. There are now several generations of Canadian born Ukrainians that have grown up with little or no contact, appreciation or understanding of their Ukrainian brothers and sisters that happened by chance to be born and raised within the “Other” camp.

To make a long story short, over the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to have some good discussions and exchange of ideas with this “Banderivets” named Markian, and I should not have been surprised to discover that he was very much like me in terms of values, beliefs, approach, politics and cultural philosophy. We were very much kindred spirits in terms of our hopes and dreams for the Ukrainian community in Canada. The question that troubles me is why the older “establishment” within our respective organizations have expended so much effort over the decades to keep us apart and alienated from each other?

I have done my fair share of reading on the history of OUN and the root causes of its split into OUN-M and OUN-B, and I can both understand and empathize with the motivations of both sides, though I may disagree with whether that was justification for the bitter split that followed. What I cannot understand is why this enmity has been allowed to continue to this day when the original points of contention long ago ceased to be relevant.

This topic, no doubt, is worthy of considerable debate and discussion. However, what I think is more important, is that the leadership of both organizations should draw the line on past history and undertake serious efforts right now to bring the two camps back together under one roof. There is no valid reason or moral justification for prolonging this division any longer. In this time of declining memberships and branches disappearing, there is however, very strong motivation for the pooling of resources and energies towards the continued preservation and development of the Ukrainian community here in Canada. Much as the political fragmentation in Ukraine is hampering their progress in becoming a strong political and economic entity, so too our fragmentation here is robbing our community of its strength and influence in the Canadian environment. Waiting any longer will only mean more members, branches and organizations disappearing and our community withering away.

Is it really that hard to understand what is most essential and important in being a Ukrainian in Canada today? Let us put being Ukrainian, instead of being a “Melnykivets” or “Banderivets” first. Let us unite together in what has always been a common purpose. Let us once again be brothers and sisters instead of “Us” and “Them”.