Volodymyr Halchuk

The time is right to join the Liberal Party of Canada. A national policy conference is scheduled early next year and a leadership race is probably not far off in the future. Do we want the architect of the Deportation and Denaturalization policy, Allan Rock, to hold the reins of power?

The Liberals are pragmatists. The canard that Canada is a haven for war criminals is coming home to roost. If one accepts the premise that Canada is a haven for yesterday’s World War Two war criminals, why not a haven for today’s criminals in the war on terrorism? Both are absurd and farcical.

The roots of the current and ill-advised Denaturalization and Deportation policy that cut corners in the hunt for supposed Nazi war criminals are being addressed at the provincial level. The BC wing of the Liberal Party has tackled the issue head on, stating that “the Government of Canada ensure that in cases of citizenship revocation, questions of fact and law, and guilt and innocence must be determined by the normal judicial process, free of political interference.” It is now Ontario’s turn. During the next few months, the federal Liberal Party will be selecting delegates to its policy convention. Now is the right time to act.

The recent by-elections, especially those in Ontario and Newfoundland, were not so much won by the NDP and the Federal Progressive Conservatives as lost by the Liberals. Even with a split opposition, there is now a serious possibility the Liberals may lose their majority in parliament or even the election itself. The Liberal Party of Canada has to be looking for ways to make up for its losses and to garner votes and not just funds. The time is right to have our voice heard.

While historically especially under the late Pierre Elliot Trudeau the federal Liberals have been strong civil libertarians, lately they seem to have abandoned their roots. It is important that concerned Ukrainian Canadians in this province take an active role in this political process to inform themselves on the issues confronting the federal Liberal Party, and to enlighten themselves on the concerns of the collective Ukrainian Canadian community in Ontario.

I believe it is incumbent upon the UCC and its major organizations to encourage its members to join Canadian political parties, initiate and support policies that engender justice, honesty and dignity.

Concerns to raise with your MP

• The right of a Canadian citizen to appeal Federal Court decisions, a right currently not permitted to alleged war criminals under the D&D policy

• Establishing an inclusive Genocide Museum in our nation’s capital that will recognize all genocides including Ukraine’s Great Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933

• Increased trade with and investment in Ukraine

• Realistic immigration quotas for Ukraine

• WWI internment restitution

• Practical Multicultural applications such as multilingual broadcasting

Volodymyr (Walter) Halchuk is the President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Ontario Provincial Council and a member of the Ukrainian National Federation’s Sudbury branch Executive