The late governor general's coat of arms reflected his Ukrainian heritage (01/05/03)

The late governor general's coat of arms reflected his Ukrainian heritage

by Roman Zakaluzny

OTTAWA - The death of former Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn touched many in Canada. But it was especially poignant for Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk of Kingston.

The Royal Military College professor had a little-known but culturally significant connection with Mr. Hnatyshyn: he played a small role in designing the governor general's official coat of arms.

Designing a coat of arms is a privilege accorded to every Queen's representative in Canada. Often, a governor general incorporates designs that symbolize his or her roots.

Mr. Hnatyshyn, who was of Ukrainian descent, wanted to highlight this background and in so doing consulted with the Ukrainian Museum of Canada in his hometown of Saskatoon. Dr. Luciuk said he was in the museum at the precise moment in 1989 when Robert Watt, chief herald at Rideau Hall, called.

"I was doing research around the Prairies at the time," said Dr. Luciuk. "I happened to be in the museum when someone from the governor general's office called and spoke to [museum executive director] Dr. Jennie Zayachkowski. "We got to talking, and she told me who had called and what they were asking for."

Mr. Watt, who has been with Rideau Hall since the creation of heraldic symbols was patriated to Canada from England in 1988, said he made many inquiries while researching Ukrainian symbols that were to go into Governor General Hnatyshyn's design. "I had discussions with [Hnatyshyn] about his family and background, and about how those things could be brought together for a single design," he said from his office in Ottawa.

Dr. Luciuk suggested to Dr. Zayachkowski that she recommend to the governor general's office that they incorporate the tryzub, a trident symbol used by Ukraine and the Ukrainian people for more than 1,000 years. "I recommended that [Hnatyshyn] use the national emblem of Ukraine, the Tryzub, particularly because the use of that symbol was forbidden at the time in Soviet Ukraine," said Dr. Luciuk. "Ray Hnatyshyn wanted to emphasize his Ukrainian identity. He was proud of it, and he was committed to Ukraine's freedom."

Dr. Luciuk went back to browsing the displays. "Within an hour, she [Dr. Zayachkowski] confirmed that she had passed on my suggestion." In Mr. Hnatyshyn's coat of arms, the trident is visible on the collar of the bull to the right of the crest.

The bull itself is also a symbol of Mr. Hnatyshyn's ethnic background, representing Bukovyna, the province of Ukraine from which Mr. Hnatyshyn's grandparents emigrated. As well, the coat of arms' two main colors are blue on top and gold below, representing the blue skies and golden wheat fields of both Ukraine and his native Saskatchewan.

"Basically, I was the right guy, at the right place, at the right time," said Dr. Luciuk, who teaches political geography at Royal Military College. "The fact that [Hnatyshyn] chose to put a tryzub there, there's no ambiguity. It's unmistakable that Ukraine's existence was being reaffirmed at a time when, if a Ukrainian in Ukraine did the same thing, they would have been arrested."

Other governors general have similarly adorned their coats of arms with symbols harking back to times past. For example, current Governor General Adrienne Clarkson's coat of arms has a Chinese stylized phoenix rising from a fire. According to her website, the phoenix shows her family's rebirth in Canada after emigrating from Hong Kong.

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