House of Commons marks disaster's 10th anniversary

by Christopher Guly

OTTAWA - Canada's 295-member House of Commons also marked the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster with an address by Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy on April 26.

The Liberal member of Parliament from Winnipeg expressed condolences to the survivors on behalf of the Canadian government. "We want to pay particular tribute to the courage, commitment and competence of the many Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians and others who took determined and effective action to contend with the costs and impact of the accident often at the risk of their own lives. Many, of course, have since perished," he said.

Mr. Axworthy noted Canada's role in the G-7 to help Ukraine meet its energy needs while closing the Chornobyl nuclear station and "discontinuing its lingering dangers."

He said Canada intends to continue its "political and economic cooperation with Ukraine in nuclear safety and energy sector development and other vital fields - both bilaterally and multilaterally."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 12, 1996, No. 19, Vol. LXIV

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