Visnyk Winter 2010
President's Commentary

In the last edition of Visnyk, I had indicated that I would soon be involved in a delegation to Ukraine as a member of the Saskatchewan Ukraine Relations Advisory Committee. I was asked to accompany deputy Premier Ken Krawetz, Committee Chairman Gerry Luciuk, and Deputy Provincial Secretary Rick Mantey, another Committee member. Education Minister Donna Harpauer and Deputy Minister Audrey Roadhouse joined the delegation for the visits to Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv. The purpose of this visit is to build on the work undertaken by the Honourable Ken Krawetz, on his initial visit to Ukraine in 2008 and reports prepared for Government by the Saskatchewan-Ukraine Relations Advisory Committee of 2005 and 2008. The focus of the trip will evolve around increased cooperation in the area of agriculture, the energy sector, financial sector, innovation, the justice sector and potential under the proposed Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.

Our first stop was Kyiv, arriving in the afternoon of September 26, tired, but running on adrenaline. We stayed at the Radisson Blu Hotel which was conveniently located not far from the Canadian Embassy. My impressions of this Hotel were very positive as the actual hotel and staff were of a standard we might expect in any major city of the world. English was spoken by the staff and they went out of their way to make you comfortable. The balance of Sunday was spent orienting ourselves, including a quick stroll to Khreshchatyk in an attempt to get my European phone working. The evening ended with one of our many great meals at a local restaurant. Less successful was my attempt to get my French phone operating after purchasing a new sim card for it.

Monday morning our work began in earnest. First stop was the Canadian Embassy where we were greeted by Ambassador Daniel Caron and were introduced to the heads of all of the various departments in the Embassy. The Ambassador and Embassy Staff briefed us on the situation in Ukraine. The Ambassador advised that the situation in Ukraine was like being posted in a new country, because of the change at a senior level of all of the positions to reflect the change of power from Past President Viktor Yushchenko to current President Viktor Yanukovych. We were to observe this change also at the local levels as the President of Ukraine has the authority to appoint the Governors of all of the Oblasts. Following this meeting the Ambassador took us to the new Holodomor Memorial and Museum which is located on the banks of the Dnieper River, not far from Pecherska Lavra Monestary. There I participated in a wreath laying and viewed the museum. Following lunch I participated in a meeting with the delegation with Vice Premier Viktor Tykhonov and other senior officials of the Ukrainian government. We later met with Executive Director on Economic Issues of the National Bank of Ukraine, Ihor Shumylo. Other meetings took place with senior members of the Ukrainian Government in the areas of Agriculture and Justice.

Photo courtesy Gerald Luciuk

Before departing Kyiv, we took a day trip to Zhytomyr where we met with leaders of that Oblast and also observed a large farming and food processing operation.

Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine Daniel Caron (right) took Saskatchewan-Ukraine Advisory Committee members to the new Holodomor Memorial and Museum in Kyiv. Deputy Provincial Secretary Rick Mantey, UCC-SPC President Ed Lysyk, Deputy Premier of Saskatchewan Ken Krawetz, and Committee Chairman Gerald Luciuk. Photo courtesy Gerald Luciuk

In Chernivtsi we stayed at the Bukovyna Hotel. While in Chernivtsi we met with the head of the oblast and also met with senior officials of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University. Of special interest also was our visit to Lyceum Number 2 where we met with teachers and students from several Lyceums in the City who have been involved with student exchanges in Saskatoon.

UCC-SPC President Ed Lysyk, Saskatchewan-Ukraine Advisory Committee Chairman Gerald Luciuk, Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine Daniel Caron, Deputy Premier of Saskatchewan Ken Krawetz. Photo courtesy Gerald Luciuk

We departed Chernivtsi by vehicle and were greeted with bread and salt at the outskirts of Ivano-Frankivsk. Our hotel was the Nadia. The following morning we again met with the head of the Oblast and also city officials. The mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk toured us around the center of his city. We visited the Canada Business Centre and the Oil and Gas Technical University of Ivano-Frankivsk.

Photo courtesy Gerald Luciuk

We again departed by vehicle and drove to Lviv. Before reaching our hotel, we first had a meeting with the head and other senior officials of the Oblast. We stayed at the Hotel Shveitsarskyy (Swiss Hotel). It was quite a nice hotel, fully renovated and located in central Lviv. We met with the mayor of Lviv the following morning along with other city officials. Our host through West Ukraine was honorary Consul for Canada, Dr. Oksanna Wynnyckyj whom looked after us and opened doors (figuratively) for us.

I spent some time in Lviv touring, including a visit to the Prison on Lontskoho Museum which was very interesting.

My report does not detail the subject matter of each meeting. That would make for quite a long document. Suffice it to say that government at the National, Oblast, Municipal and educators at the Universities and Schools we visited are all interested in increasing relations with Saskatchewan, improving on programs that currently exist and creating new relationships that will mutually benefit Ukraine and Canada.

The long flight home left me tired out and "jet lagged", but forever grateful for having been included on what was a memorable trip to the land of my forefathers.

After my return to Canada, I then prepared for my trip to the 23th Triennial Congress of UCC held in Edmonton for the 1st time and only the 2nd time it has ever been held outside of Winnipeg. The Congress was exhilarating, giving re-elected President Paul Grod a strong mandate for the term 2010-2013 to: engage Ukraine, support enhanced youth engagement and leadership training for community organizations; and to finds ways to connect the 1.2M Ukrainian Canadians through initiatives such as the arts and social media. Resolutions passed at the Congress included a reaffirmation of the need for an enhanced presence in Ottawa through an information and resource center; a declaration that we must shift our focus towards community development through capacity building and leadership training as well as a strong commitment to our heritage through promotion of Ukrainian culture, the Arts and language education.

Lastly, I want to congratulate those who were honoured at our annual Nation Builders and Community Recognition Awards Luncheon this year. Without these people and those award winners of the past, our Ukrainian Community would not be the strongest and richest in Saskatchewan. In honouring them at our Luncheon, we provide a small thank you and recognition to them. More importantly, these people stand as role models for our Community, especially our youth. I also want to thank UCC SPC's Recognitions Committee for their hard work and our office staff for assisting them. I also thank UCC Saskatoon's committee, lead by Marlene Bodnar for their efforts in making the Luncheon a special event. Lastly, I extend our gratitude to those organizations, corporations and individuals whose financial support for our Nation Builders and Community Recognition Awards Luncheon have greatly assisted us this year. Thank you to all others who helped and those purchasing tickets and attending.

Ed Lysyk