Ukrainian Quebecers comment on province's referendum (12/17/95)

Ukrainian Quebecers comment on province's referendum

by Christopher Guly

HULL, Quebec - On October 30, a collective sigh of relief swept across Canada when Quebecers voted by the slimmest of margins - 50.6 "no" to 49.4 "yes" - to keep Quebec a part of Canada.

But while Canadians living outside Quebec may have found some comfort in knowing their country would not break up, the mood for many Quebecers, separatist or not, was perhaps less buoyant. Indeed, there was some nervousness on the part of Quebec's 16,000 residents of Ukrainian descent.

When outgoing Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau acknowledged that his "yes" forces had been beaten in the referendum, he did not blame French-speaking Quebecers for losing the plebiscite. "Money and the ethnic vote," were the culprits, he said. Presumably, the retiring Parti Quebecois (PQ) leader included all non-Francophones, such as Ukrainian Quebecers, in his blanket condemnation.

"I don't think Parizeau's remarks were a slip," said Dr. Dmytro Cipywnyk, president of the Canadian Ethnocultural Council. "I think what he said was quite deliberate - that obviously the ethnic vote in Quebec made the difference."

In the days following the crucial vote, reports suggested that several polling stations in which there is a considerable ethnic population had experienced high ballot rejection. One, in south Montreal, found a pro-separatist government scrutineer rejecting 102 out of 205 ballots - or 49 percent of the vote. Most of the rejections were "no" votes.

Dr. Cipywnyk, who also serves as president of the Ukrainian World Congress, said he feels the PQ must realize "that ethnic minorities are a vital part of Quebec and have the right to fully participate in all aspects of society."

Eugene Czolij is living proof of that.

The 36-year-old Montreal-born president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Montreal Branch has built a successful commercial law practice over the past 14 years. A graduate of the Francophone Université de Montréal, Mr. Czolij works in one of Quebec's major French-speaking firms, Desjardins, Ducharme, Stein, Monast in downtown Montreal.

Though he is fully trilingual (English, French and Ukrainian), Mr. Czolij says his colleagues don't look upon him as anything different. "They may not rush out and buy [The Montreal Gazette] whenever there's a story on Chornobyl, but they respect the fact that I celebrate Christmas at a different time than they do," he said. "But I spend a lot of time working and socializing with Francophone Quebecers and don't need to be 'pure laine.' " (or "poor wool," as Quebecers with long ancestral roots in the province's franco-phone culture are called).

For Mr. Czolij that is not resignation, but realization. Growing up in Quebec during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s exposed to him renewed and often heated moves toward cultural, if not complete, sovereignty for Quebecers over their own destiny.

Despite Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien's recent parliamentary offer to extend a "distinct society" designation to Quebec, Mr. Czolij knows the real polique at work in Quebec. "What Parizeau said about the ethnic vote on October 30 just confirmed what we all knew for a long time. It's not as if he made a blunder, but went as far as to say it publicly."

In fact, Mr. Parizeau's likely successor as Quebec premier, Lucein Bouchard - who now serves as Canada's official Opposition leader - sounded similarly xenophobic 15 days before the referendum. Mr. Bouchard told a rally of women that Quebecers are "one of the white races" with the lowest birth rates.

That was supposed to garner more votes. Instead, the Bloc Quebecois leader turned Canadians' attention to the not-so-subtle racist overtones seemingly inherent in Quebec society.

Though still "disappointed" at hearing such remarks, Mr. Czolij kept the UCC out of the referendum fray. "I felt Ukrainian Quebecers should not be voting wearing a Ukrainian badge," he said.

Nevertheless, the UCC Montreal head believes most of his ethnic compatriots voted "no" on October 30. He certainly did - but not because he's Ukrainian.

"I analyzed the issues and felt that I'm living in a country that doesn't deserve to be split up," said Mr. Czolij. "I have spent many nights and weekends working, and have reached a certain standard of living in which I have accumulated a certain amount of wealth. I didn't want to suffer economically if Quebec separated."

So, was Premier Parizeau right about blaming the money factor in the "yes" loss? Certainly, the Quebec government is among the few Canadian provinces which have not, so far, shown any real desire to prop up their faltering economies. And though Quebec controls its own immigration standards, many so-called foreign ethnics might be reluctant to choose Montreal over Toronto or Vancouver.

That, said Dr. Cipywnyk, would be a tremendous loss of opportunity for Quebec and Canada.

"Let's face it, Canada is a country that needs immigrants. They make Canada and provinces like Quebec run."

As Mr. Bouchard enters the February 1996 race for the next PQ leader - and Quebec premier - Mr. Czolij hopes Mr. Bouchard and other Quebec separatists will give the Canadian distinct society offer a chance.

"There are always options to live together," he underlined.

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