Wrzesnewskyj named Opposition's associate critic for foreign affairs

OTTAWA - Borys Wrzesnewskyj, the recently re-elected member of Parlimant from Etobicoke Center, has been appointed the Official Opposition's associate critic for foreign affairs. The appointment was made on February 20 by the leader of the Official Opposition, Bill Graham.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj said: "It's an honor to have been asked to serve as the associate critic for foreign affairs, and I would like to thank the leader of the Official Opposition, the Honorable Bill Graham, for this opportunity. I look forward to working with Foreign Affairs Critic the Honorable Stéphane Dion and my colleagues in Parliament to ensure that Canada's foreign policy continues to build on the Pearsonian legacy of peace-building and directly engages the reserves of potential found in Canada's multicultural society."

During the previous parliamentary session Mr. Wrzesnewskyj spearheaded the "Canada Corps" in its first international project in support of free and transparent elections in Ukraine during the Orange Revolution of 2004. In 2005 he personally financed a fact-finding mission to Somalia working on the peace and reconciliation process and meeting with the president, prime minister and Cabinet of the transitional federal government. Also in 2005 he travelled to the Darfur region of Sudan, meeting with Canada's military which is providing the backbone for the African Union peacekeeping force. Commenting on Canada's role in the world, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj noted: "If properly executed, Canada can establish for herself an international role as an honest broker to be called upon to resolve conflicts without the host countries having to fear a loss of sovereignty or control over national resources. Canada has tremendous potential to play an international role disproportionate to her size. A country renowned for her multicultural human resources, an exporter of peace builders and civil society architects, the builder of a peaceful global village."

An opposition critic's responsibility is to shadow a particular minister in the government and to oversee his or her work in a particular portfolio. As the associate critic for foreign affairs, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj will work alongside the foreign affairs critic, Mr. Dion, to hold Foreign Minister Peter MacKay to account and to advocate for improvements to policy or legislation relating to the foreign affairs portfolio.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 5, 2006, No. 10, Vol. LXXIV

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