Ukrainian Canadian community commends speaker's decision on Christmas lights

Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association

TORONTO - The Ukrainian Canadian community has welcomed a decision made recently by Speaker of the House Giles Parent to extend this year's policy of leaving Christmas lights on at the House of Commons on Parliament Hill until January 8, thereby recognizing that millions of Canadians of Eastern Rite Christian faiths celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar.

Just before Christmas, the Ukrainian Canadian community had organized a letter-writing campaign to the National Capital Commission in Ottawa, prompted by the efforts of Member of Parliament Sarkis Assadourian, who is of Armenian Christian heritage. This effort was supported by Peter Milliken, deputy speaker of the House and MP for Kingston and the Islands.

At a recent meeting, Mr. Milliken showed Mr. Parent a memorandum on this subject circulated nationally by the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association. Mr. Parent took that memorandum and endorsed it on January 9 as follows: "This is a good idea and it will be continued."

UCCLA Chairman John B. Gregorovich said, "This represents a tangible recognition of the importance of Christianity to the majority of Canadians and a particular acknowledgment of the contributions made to the success of this country by the millions of Canadians who are of the various Eastern Rite Orthodox and Catholic faiths."

"The speaker of the House is to be warmly congratulated for his spirit of inclusiveness and good will toward all those Canadians. We shall look forward to seeing the Christmas Lights on until January 8 every year and hope that the provincial legislatures will do likewise," he added.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 7, 1999, No. 6, Vol. LXVII

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