On the eve of the UCC congress: National Agenda for the future (09/20/98)

On the eve of the UCC congress

National Agenda for the future

Published below is the draft of a proposed "National Agenda for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, 1998-2001" which has been submitted for discussion purposes by the UCC's Ottawa Branch, which is headed by Oksana Bashuk Hepburn, and will be presented to the UCC National Congress scheduled for October 9-11 in Winnipeg.

The proposal is printed here as part of The Ukrainian Weekly's commitment to continuing discussion about the future of the Ukrainian diaspora.

Introduction

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) has been working on behalf of Ukrainians in Canada and abroad since World War II. It has accomplished much, spearheading the establishment of Ukrainians as a strongly participatory yet distinctly identifiable group in Canada through the development of a serious organizational base comprising churches and community centers; political activism; cultural preservation and promotion; and multiculturalism, to cite but a few examples. The UCC also devoted considerable effort towards the struggle for human rights and Ukraine's independence.

In recent years the situation has changed. The levels of immigration and assimilation have eroded the membership of UCC well as of its constituent members; the generosity that built up the community's institutions and real estate has trickled off; community centers are underutilized; the influence that existed with people like former Governor General and Minister Ray Hnatyshyn, former Member of Parliament and Minister Don Mazankowski and the late Supreme Court Justice John Sopinka has diminished. The list goes on.

At the same time, Ukraine's independence provides Ukrainians in the diaspora with new strength and support - the likes of which has never been seen by the community. Still, Ukraine is seeking assistance in its difficult transition period and its new immigrants are looking for different accommodations from their fellow Ukrainian Canadians and, thus, a new trust from the UCC.

And they are not the only ones. With less than 50 percent of the 1 million Ukrainian Canadians registered in Ukrainian institutions, with a decrease in the number of persons identifying Ukrainian as their mother tongue from 309,890 in 1971 to 174,830 in 1996 (1996 Canadian Census), with the membership of the "Big Six" [Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada, Ukrainian Self-Reliance League of Canada, League of Ukrainians in Canada, Ukrainian National Federation of Canada, Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Federation and Council of Ukrainian Credit Unions of Canada] in the UCC down considerably from their former numbers, there is a problem seeking a solution. Similarly, these "left out" peripheral Ukrainian Canadians, i.e., the large majority that has opted out of membership yet still appears to have considerable interest in its roots, are in need of a clear and relevant agenda from the UCC if they are to opt back in.

This new reality, of which only a small part has been raised here, calls on the UCC to develop new strategies in support of its longstanding, yet timeless, priorities in a manner that will contribute to the lives of Ukrainian Canadians and assist the efforts of good Canada-Ukraine relations. In doing both, the UCC will build up and strengthen its team and the various member-institutions with the "new blood" that will be required to think and work in a new way. To make progress, the UCC needs to put forward a clear vision of what it wants to work at and achieve. It needs to challenge the people it represents and wishes to lead with a new agenda.

The purpose of this "Proposed National Agenda for the UCC" is to put forward for consideration by the UCC National Congress some ideas that can be agreed to and realized by the next executive.

National Agenda priorities

The UCC National Agenda is based on several longstanding UCC priorities. These include, among others, and lead to activities that:

1. enhance the lives of Ukrainian Canadians;
2. build good Canada-Ukraine relations;
3. strengthen UCC and member organizations through inclusion and outreach.

Agenda plans and programs

In order to translate the priorities into concrete activities with measurable results, the UCC headquarters will make operational the priorities by converting them into plans and programs of action for the next three years along the following lines.

Enhancing the lives of Ukrainian Canadians

Canadians of Ukrainian descent are proud to be Canadians and are, in the main, pleased with the rights and benefits accorded them in Canada. However, enchancing citizenship is an ongoing issue requiring constant vigilance and action. To that end, the UCC will:

examine the various laws, policies and programs of the federal government that are less favorable to Canadians of Ukrainian descent to ensure Ukrainian Canadian citizens justice, equality and appropriate representation in all aspects of Canada's life seeking a best-practices model from the British and French experience in Canada (attention will be paid, among others, to the potential discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights legislation, the issue of deportation and denaturalization, access and representation to promotions and appointments throughout the federal jurisdiction to reflect the Ukrainian presence, and participation in the Genocide Museum initiative);
ensure full recognition of the multicultural nature of Canada, and seek participation in developing appropriate policies and programs;
work with both governments, Canadian and Ukrainian, to develop a viable immigration model.

Canada-Ukraine relations

The UCC will build on the "special relationship" model that has defined the last seven years of Canada's relations with Ukraine. Given the limited progress in some areas, trade in particular, there is a need for a new framework or "special alliance," to give it a fresh name, to guide the next few years of working together. To develop and operationalize this special alliance, the UCC will:

work to influence the government of Canada to upgrade its relationship with Ukraine, moving it to the level accorded to the Commonwealth and Francophonie;
capitalize on the success achieved by Canada in helping to position Ukraine in the global military arena (NATO) and work with both governments to echo this success in the political and economic arenas;
seek an approach that will allow Canada to represent Ukraine's interests at the G-7 meetings and other international fora where Ukraine is not represented, and offer "good friend" support at international fora where Ukraine is a new player, often with limited financial and linguistic resources;
establish itself as the "watchdog" of Canada-Ukraine relations, developing an adequate evaluation capability for program operations and budgets of the various departments and agencies funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. Deliver its findings and recommendations via annual meetings with top government officials;
ensure the presence of the Ukrainian Genocide Famine in the federal genocide commemoration initiative;
lobby to remove visa travel restrictions between the two countries;
work to revitalize the Friends of Ukraine Parliamentary Committee;
assign to UCC Ottawa the role of developing and executing an annual policy forum on relevant issues involving appropriate stakeholders.

Inclusion and outreach: building the UCC team

In order to implement the National Agenda, the UCC will require a major organizational and financial effort. New thinking, new champions and new blood will be indispensable. Also, the UCC will need to provide leadership to the various member organizations, the provincial and local branches to make the National Agenda a reality. Among others, the UCC will need to:

find monies to reopen its Ottawa Bureau (not to be called Information Office since this implies a passive role, not conducive to influence and results);
seek out appropriate individuals, directed out of Ottawa, to establish a UCC/government of Canada working group to assist the UCC with the delivery of the National Agenda;
encourage UCC provincial executives to develop provincial agenda(s) modeled on the National Agenda to deal with issues in the provincial domain, such as social welfare, education and human rights;
encourage UCC local branches to develop programs that support the UCC National Agenda. To begin with, emphasize several areas including the development of academic scholarships for our young to stimulate academic excellence; strong community presence by meetings with local MPs, MPPs, as well as the editorial boards of the local newspapers; outreach programs to the "new," "old" and "under-challenged" members of the community; bilateral programs both for Ukrainian Canadians and for Ukraine by partnering with other local communities, e.g., aid to Ukraine with other church or aid groups; support for each local organization to develop and sustain a Ukraine-focused project; development of a bilingual Canadian newspaper on Ukrainian issues along the lines of The Ukrainian Weekly in the U.S.

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