MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj leads parliamentary delegation to Ukraine (12/05/04)

MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj leads parliamentary delegation to Ukraine

OTTAWA - For the third time, Etobicoke Center Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj is leading a Canadian Parliamentary Delegation to Kyiv to bolster the democratic movement in Ukraine.

Mr. Wrzesnewskyj led a Canadian parliamentary fact-finding mission to Ukraine between the two rounds of voting and a Canadian parliamentary observer delegation during the second round of the election.

He also spearheaded the unanimously accepted House of Commons motion of October 26, the emergency debate of November 24, and the motion of November 25.

Joining Mr. Wrzesnewskyj on the all-party parliamentary delegation are Conservative MP Peter Goldring, Bloc Quebecois MP Bernard Bigras, and New Democratic Party MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

The House of Commons motion of November 25 underscroed that "a concerted, systemic and massive fraud has been committed by the current regime and the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine against the will of the people of Ukraine; the electoral commission does not have a legitimate basis for declaring Mr. Yanukovych the winner of the presidential election; and, in the event that President Kuchma and the government of Ukraine do not ensure that the democratic will of the Ukrainian people is respected, the government of Canada shall consider the introduction of appropriate and effective measures, mindful of the impact on the people of Ukraine and will seek the cooperation on such measures with the international community."

This second Motion followed the emergency debate that took place in the House of Commons on November 24 at 6:30 p.m.-11:15 p.m., with the purpose of: "discussing a specific and important matter requiring urgent consideration, namely the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine as a result of an attempt at coup d'état by the present administration and its impact on our domestic and foreign policies."

Mr. Wrzesnewskyj stated:

"The unanimous passage of the motion on November 25 gives meaning to the phrase 'special relationship' which we have used since 1991 and demonstrates that in this hour of need Canadians stand shoulder to shoulder with the students, workers, pensioners, police and soldiers fighting for democracy in the streets of Ukraine.

"The presence of the Canadian parliamentary delegation on the ground in Ukraine will demonstrate to the Ukrainian people that Canada will not only stand with them, but will also exert pressure to ensure that the will of the Ukrainian people and their support for Viktor Yushchenko is recognized.

"Our delegation brings a forceful message from the House of Commons that we will not accept this blatant coup d'état. The will of the people must be respected and there will be consequences to President [Leonid] Kuchma and his administration should the usurpation of power not be reversed."

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