UCCLA delegation meets with Canadian opposition leader (04/22/01)

UCCLA delegation meets with Canadian opposition leader

OTTAWA - A delegation of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association met on March 28 with Stockwell Day, leader of the Canadian Alliance and of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons.

Mr. Day was briefed on the Ukrainian Canadian community's calls for an official recognition of the injustice of Canada's first national internment operations and for an accounting of what happened with that portion of the internees' confiscated wealth never returned by the government of Canada.

The UCCLA's director of research, Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk, and Calgary's Roman Zakaluzny of Calgary provided a historical overview of the traumatic impact of the internment operations on Canada's Ukrainians and other Europeans.

Mr. Day was also told that the UCCLA endorses the Ukrainian Canadian Restitution Act introduced by Member of Parliament Inky Mark (Dauphin-Swan River, Manitoba), a Canadian Alliance member.

Listening carefully to the delegation's presentation, Mr. Day promised to review the submitted materials and to respond with a clear statement of where the Canadian Alliance stands on the Ukrainian Canadian community's requests. Mr. Day was also reminded how the Chrétien, while himself still leader of the Opposition, in June 1993 promised his personal support and that of the Liberal Party of Canada for redress. The delegation urged Mr. Day to seek all-party support for Mr. Mark's bill.

Commenting on this meeting - the first between the leader of the Opposition and the Ukrainian Canadian community - Mr. Zakaluzny said: "Mr. Day was generous with his time in meeting the delegation. He listened attentively, reviewed the briefing notes and asked questions that were on point.

The Calgary activist also noted that the Canadian Alliance leader seemed to appreciate UCCLA's endorsement of Mr. Mark's Ukrainian Canadian Restitution Act. "He said he would definitely give us a clear statement of what his party's position on our requests is, sooner rather than later. While he could not, obviously, commit himself without more consideration of the issues, we were encouraged by the forthright, sympathetic and intelligent style with which he responded to our presentation."

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