NEWS AND VIEWS: One year later: the Canadian government vs. Wasyl Odynsky (10/04/98)

NEWS AND VIEWS

One year later: the Canadian government vs. Wasyl Odynsky

by Olya Odynsky

On August 26, 1997, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police paid a surprise visit to my father, Wasyl Odynsky. One year later, on August 24, I escorted him into the examination for discovery. It has been a tremendously difficult year, and yet, the court hearings themselves still await my father and our family.

From September 24, 1997, (the date the letter from the minister of citizenship and immigration arrived, stating that my father had 30 days in which to decide whether he would leave Canada voluntarily, or appeal the charges) until January 18 of this year, we did not know the details of the charges.

Once the minister's summary of facts and evidence finally arrived, I read this 50-page document with intense apprehension. Surely, if the government was intending to deport my father they must have very substantial evidence. To my relief there were no accusations of any alleged criminality or wrongdoing. But to my dismay, I thought: "This is it?" The Canadian government claims that because Wasyl Odynsky was in the Trawniki and Poniatowa labor camps, he should not have been accepted for immigration into Canada after the war. They claim he could only have arrived in Canada by misrepresentation.

During the months of February and March I wrote letters to politicians, organizations - and anyone I could think of. I appeared on a local radio talk show, and on the "Kontakt" and "Svitohliad" TV programs, and gave several speeches. I very naively believed that the truth was the truth and it should be easy to prove. I certainly did not think that I had to revisit the second world war. How wrong I was.

While our lawyers worked away during April and May, I read voraciously. There is so much to research. The Ukrainian position during World War II, the displaced persons (DP) camps, the post-war immigration process

I also began the search for witnesses who went through the DP camps and immigration process similar to my father. Many people remember very little. Most have thrown out their old documents. There were many dead ends.

In June I flew to Ukraine for the first time in my life to look for witnesses who could corroborate my father's story. I traveled to his village, near Kolomyia, where the family I had only known through pictures and letters greeted me. In two days, with the assistance of Myroslava Oleksiuk-Baker, I interviewed (while she videotaped) many witnesses. Their words gave me great encouragement, but they also broke my heart.

They told me about their life while under the occupation of Poland, Russia, Germany and the Soviets. They told me how my father, along with four other boys in the village, was arrested and thrown into jail for running away from German military conscription. They told me how helpless they felt, how little control they had over their lives, how they cried. And I cried as I listened.

Their stories helped give me the resolve to continue the battle. On the third day I traveled to Lviv for myriad interviews and meetings. My mission was to make sure that the people of Ukraine knew that Canada wanted to deport one of their own expatriates. And for what? Allegations of misrepresentation. In two days I did a radio interview and a television interview, attended several meetings and gave interviews to three newspapers. I attended a huge rally commemorating the many martyred Ukrainian political prisoners. I stood among the crowd, singing "Vichnaia Pamiat" with great emotion. And before I left Lviv, I made time to go to St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church to say a prayer for my father before a magnificent icon.

We took the overnight train to Kyiv. There, in one day, I met with the editors of Vechirnyi Kyiv and Shliakh Peremohy, and with a journalist from Literaturna Ukraina. I was interviewed by "Studio 1 + 1" television and had a meeting with Serhii Holovatyi, the former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada and former minister of justice. I even found a historian for whom I was looking. Everyone I spoke with said the same thing: "It is not possible that Canada could be doing something so unjust. Not Canada!"

But it is true. And even worse: Canada is prosecuting my father, with my tax dollars. The government has vast resources. My father does not. Nor do I.

Let me tell you about the pre-hearing examination for discovery process. The government had the opportunity to question my father for four and a half days. Three of those days were spent covering the details of the second world war and one and a half days were spent covering the immigration process. And the government maintains that this is solely an immigration case.

The statements of the witnesses in Ukraine are vital to my father's case. The minister has offered to cover only part of the costs of the taking of commission evidence in Ukraine. We are struggling to cover these costs on top of the other massive legal and court bills. One would think that the government which is prosecuting a man (who has done no wrong in Canada or anywhere else) would take full responsibility for collecting commission evidence. The government has taken my father to court. They should have to prove their case. But, unfortunately, in this civil hearing, my father - at his own expense - has to defend himself and prove his innocence.

The summer months have flown by. My one reprieve was going to Verkhovyna and Soyuzivka to visit my youngest daughter, who was safely tucked away under the caring wing of Roma Pryma Bohachevska at dance camp. This was a great relief for me as our household often functions as what feels like a command center, and is not conducive to a teenager who is terrified for her grandfather.

To date, the support of many people from many parts of the world is truly appreciated. The Committee for Justice of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (Toronto Branch), as well as the assistance of many friends has helped to raise awareness regarding this issue.

So, one year later, my father and mother have aged before their time. It appears that they may have to sell their home to afford the escalating research and legal costs. They are frightened and apprehensive. So am I.

They have not given up hope. Neither have I. Neither should you.

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If you would like to assist the Odynsky family with their efforts, you may send contributions to: Wasyl Odynsky Defense Trust Fund, c/o 5289 Roebuck Court, Mississauga, Ontario L5R 2J5.

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