BOOK NOTE: The memoirs of Anthony Hlynka, MP (04/16/06)

BOOK NOTE: The memoirs of Anthony Hlynka, MP

"The Honorable Member for Vegreville: The Memoirs and Diary of Anthony Hlynka, MP," edited by Oleh. W. Geruas and Dennis Hlynka. Calgargy: Center for Ukrainian Studies, University of Manitoba, University of Calgary Press, 2005. 388 pp., $34.95.

Translated from Anthony Hlynka's personal memoirs and diaries, "The Honorable Member for Vegreville" was written, as noted in the preface, to add to the body of knowledge that informs Western Canadian history, politics and culture and to re-acquaint the Ukrainian Canadian community with one of its distinguished sons, the memory of whom has diminished over the years.

Anthony Hlynka served two terms as Member of Parliament (1940-1949), representing the constituency of Vegreville, Alberta, for the Social Credit Party.

A high-profile MP who garnered much attention from the mainstream Canadian press, Mr. Hlynka was instrumental in raising awareness of the plight of displaced persons following the second world war, and was a major supporter of the third wave of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. As the only Ukrainian Canadian parliamentarian during his first term (1940-1945), he became the public voice of his community-at-large, about whose aspirations and dynamics the general Canadian public was largely uninformed.

As noted in the preface to the book, Mr. Hlynka's involvement with the post-World War II refugee crisis, particularly his efforts to end the forcible repatriation of Ukrainians to the Soviet Union and to facilitate their immigration to Canada, distinguished his political service.

In his foreword to the book, Gerald Friesen, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and professor at the University of Manitoba, notes that apart from working for his constituency, which was predominantly Ukrainian, "Mr. Hlynka's contribution to the principle of plural citizenship in prairie Canada, an ideal that evolved out of the thinking and practice of many ethnic and religious leaders, constitutes a significant legacy to all Canadians."

The book draws on Mr. Hlynka's memoirs, press reports from the era and material provided by Stephanie Hlynka, his widow.

Among the rich historical documents that comprise the book are a diary covering Mr. Hlynka's travels and negotiations in post-war Europe; excerpts from his memoir, offering insights into the politics of north-central Alberta during the 1930s and 1940s; and newspaper articles and speeches documenting the public life of Mr. Hlynka as a forceful representative of Canada's Ukrainian community at the height of his influence.

In his introduction to the book, Dr. Oleh W. Gerus of the University of Manitoba, provides the context for these documents, referencing life in the displaced persons' camps, Ukrainian wartime politics, as well as an array of issues raised by the profound ideological clashes engendered in the aftermath of World War II during the Cold War period.

The book consists of four distinct parts. The first part contains selected, edited and translated parts of the 1982 Ukrainian edition - "Posol Federalnoho Parliamentu Kanady" (Anthony Hlynka, member of Canada's Federal Parliament), which discussed the Canadian-Ukrainian issue. The second part contains passages from Mr. Hlynka's incomplete Ukrainian-language diary and includes collection of notes in English and Ukrainian that cover his lobbying efforts in Europe on behalf of the refugees and his fact-finding tour of their camps.

The third part presents selected speeches by Mr. Hlynka, including a list that directs the reader to Mr. Hlynka's speeches and participation in the House of Commons. The fourth part presents press accounts concerning Mr. Hlynka's political activities. An appendix includes three of Mr. Hlynka's essays dealing with the Alberta scene from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Prof. Friesen underscores that Mr. Hlynka "waged an unrelenting campaign to ensure that Ukraine's national status was recognized and the freedom from ethnicity-based discrimination was the norm for Canadian citizens of Ukrainian origin. A half-century later, it takes a newcomer to prairie Canada only a little while to discover that Hlynka's plural ideal has been largely realized." Prof. Friesen states that Mr. Hlynka's story "underlines why ethnic identity remains a force in western Canada. It suggests, too, that Canada's multiculturalism is much more complicated than any simple model of either melting pot or mosaic can convey."

The book is edited by Dr. Gerus and Denis Hlynka. Dr. Gerus, who wrote the introduction to the book is also responsible for transcription and translation of texts. He is professor of history at the University of Manitoba, and has written extensively on Ukrainian and Ukrainian Canadian history. Mr. Hlynka is a professor of instructional technology at the University of Manitoba in the department of curriculum, teaching and learning.

Conceived as a tribute to Anthony Hlynka in view of his significant contributions to Canada and the Ukrainian Canadian community specifically, the book has been published as part of the University of Calgary Press "Legacies Shared" series, which preserves the many personal histories and experiences of pioneer and immigrant life that may otherwise be lost to the public discourse.

The volume is the first major publishing project of the Center for Ukrainian Canadian Studies at the University of Manitoba, as a part of its mandate to create, preserve and communicate knowledge that deals with Ukrainian Canadians.

Major funding for the book was provided by the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko.

Available in a soft-cover edition, the book may be purchased for $34.95. It may be ordered from the University of Calgary Press: telephone, 403-220-4343.

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