Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson Speech
on the Occasion of the Presentation of a Governor General’s Certificate
of Commendation to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress
(August 31, 2005) Parliamentarians, Chief Justice, Mr. Mayor, Ms.
Sushko and members of the Ukrainian Canadian Community, Ladies and
Gentlemen,
Dobri den. I am thrilled to be back here at City Hall where, nearly
six years ago, I made my first civic visit as Governor General.
That day, I helped to honour Caring Canadians from Alberta and presented
long-service medals to police officers and fire fighters.
Ce fut là mon baptême, pour ainsi dire, mon initiation
aux visites et aux échanges et à l’amitié que
j’ai connus depuis 1999. À l’occasion de cette visite, ma
dernière présence officielle à Edmonton --
je vais quand même revenir, à titre privé, en
hiver, sous les scintillements du soleil sur la neige! -- je suis
heureuse de rendre hommage à la communauté ukrainienne
dans un domaine qui me tient fort à coeur.
That was my baptism, my introduction to the visits and exchanges
and friendship that I have known now since 1999. On this, my last
official visit to Edmonton -- I’ll be back, particularly in winter
when the sun is sparkling on the snow! -- I am pleased to pay tribute
to the Ukrainian community in a matter which has great meaning for
me.
The Governor General’s Certificate of Commendation is given very
rarely; this is only the second non-military commendation during
my mandate. It reflects an intense personal as well as national
gratitude for what Ukrainian Canadians have done for freedom in
their country of origin, and the example they helped to set for
the world.
At the end of January, I stood on a platform close to President
Yushchenko as he made his inaugural speech in the Maidan. A million
people were there to cheer and listen to the man at the centre of
the Orange Revolution. In the House of Parliament, I sat beside
his wife, Kateryna. She shone with pride as he spoke positively
and convincingly about his role as the leader of Ukraine. I was
seated at the Yushchenkos’ table at lunch, and I knew that this
honour was due to the hard work of Canadians, especially Ukrainian-Canadians.
My hosts knew what their Canadian sisters and brothers had given,
and how vital this contribution had been to their democratic quest.
President Yuschenko is aware of this Commendation of the Ukrainian
Canadian Congress. It expresses Canada’s – and my – admiration and
respect for this community’s international response last year, and
for its strong tradition of civic responsibility within our country.
Ukraine’s national poet, Taras Shevchenko, wrote 150 years ago
of a time when “in your own house you will see / True justice, strength
and liberty!” Even then, with untold suffering still to come, he
lamented the number of Ukrainian émigrés. He could not have foreseen
the future services of Ukrainians in a far-off wilderness that was
not yet even a nation, and yet he did write this in 1845: “…you
throng to foreign lands / To seek the Highest Good that stands –
/ True Liberty, that sacred Good / In fair fraternal Brotherhood
/ And you have found it as you roam! / From foreign fields you bring
it home…”
While the Orange Revolution was going on, we hoped desperately
that it would not end in a bloody civil war. We wondered at the
resolve of a population that peacefully insisted on electoral justice.
We applauded their courage in standing for freedom. But for more
than a million Canadians of Ukrainian heritage, it was not only
about free elections and the advance of democratic principles. It
was also a global family drama, and their response to it was characteristically
strong.
Ever since Ukrainians arrived in Canada in the late 19th century,
it was evident that this was a proud community. About four years
ago, we were able to purchase samples of this cultural pride, a
priest’s sleeping bench and a hutch. Made for a Ukrainian church,
these beautiful pieces are covered lovingly in green and red paint,
and now sit in a prominent place at Rideau Hall. They will remain
there to remind Canadians, in their national home, of the role that
Ukrainian immigrants have played in our history. They maintained
their faith, their culture, and their sense of beauty even as they
were struggling to survive. As they built community in a new land,
they never lost sight of their ancestral home. We still see the
marks of their success: the families, the farms, the businesses,
the civic institutions.
Today, I am glad to see that we can now openly recognize and redress
the wrongs that were done to Ukrainians who, like new arrivals from
other backgrounds, endured the suspicions and slights of their fellow
citizens, including unjust internments of thousands of people. Such
hardship, though, did not stop Ukrainians from immigrating and from
making themselves into an indispensable part of our country, especially
here in the West.
When Albertans, in the first half of the 20th century, elected
Michael Luchkovich and later Anthony Hlynka to Canada’s Parliament,
they may have been the only democratically elected Ukrainians anywhere
in the world. By the end of World War II, your community was strong,
and its role in opening our West and building Canada was firmly
established. But the Ukrainian Canadian Congress was looking beyond
our borders to the huge numbers of people displaced by the war,
including approximately 200,000 Ukrainians. The Congress was a strong
advocate for the loosening of Canada’s restrictive immigration policies,
which did much to lead the way towards the welcoming society that
we are today.
This is only one of countless ways in which Ukrainians have helped
to make Canada what it is. In Alberta, where one in ten people has
Ukrainian roots, this may be old news to you, but how many Canadians
in 1945 would have foreseen that two of my predecessors as Canadian
Governors General would be named Schreyer or Hnatyshyn? Or that
we would have national icons named Bondar or Gretzky? Today, we
have a dazzling diversity, and we notice less and less how people’s
names are spelled. We’re getting better at pronouncing them, too.
All of that was brought home to me that day in the Maidan. The
cooperation of the Congress with several levels of Canadian government
was exemplary. The people of Ukraine understand the debts that they
owe to you, and are deeply moved by your hard work over the weeks
it took to ensure a peaceful transition. It is my honour now to
call upon Irene Sushko, President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress,
to formally receive the Governor General’s Commendation.
It reads:
“In deep appreciation of the role played by the Ukrainian Canadian
Congress in organizing a 500-person election observation mission
to monitor the re-run of the second round of voting in the Ukrainian
Presidential election on 26 December, 2004.
“The effort undertaken by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to raise
funds, recruit observers, and mobilize and train the participants
was unprecedented and is a testament to the energy, dedication,
and ideals of all those who took part in the mission. The sacrifices
made, particularly during the holiday period, demonstrated the great
importance that you, and indeed all Canadians, place in ensuring
that the vote would be carried out in a free, fair and peaceful
manner. Your elections observers contributed to the international
effort to ensure a neutral and non-partisan environment in order
to give Ukrainian voters the comfort and security they needed to
vote freely and openly.
“The dedication, hard work and sacrifice demonstrated by all those
who participated in the mission will serve as an inspiration to
those who are struggling to achieve their democratic right to free
and fair elections.”
Dyakuyu. Merci. Thank you.
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