TORONTO – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) honored Roman Waschuk, former Canadian ambassador to Ukraine, and his spouse, Oksana Smerechuk, for their contributions to public service and Canada-Ukraine relations at a special tribute gala in Toronto on February 1.
Due to the generosity of sponsors and supporters, $100,000 was raised to support the Roman Waschuk and Oksana Smerechuk Fund, within the UCC Charitable & Educational Trust, which funds the UCC Parliamentary Internship Program, as well as the UCC Community Development Fund that supports important community programming initiatives.
“Ambassador Waschuk and Ms. Smerechuk have dedicated their lives to public service. They are an example for future generations of Ukrainian Canadian youth to emulate, and the UCC Internship Program will provide our youth with opportunities to start their careers,” stated Alexandra Chyczij, national president of the UCC. “On behalf of our community, I thank Roman and Oksana for kindly agreeing to support the UCC’s programming. Thank you to all the honored guests, generous sponsors and donors, and everyone attending for making this memorable evening a wonderful success.”
UCC
Former Ambassador Roman Waschuk and his wife, Oksana Smerechuk, at a gala held in their honor.
The evening’s program featured greetings from Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and an address by Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister of Canada. Also part of the evening: a superb performance of the Huron Christmas Carol “Iesus Ahattonnia” by the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Choir, and moving and poignant tributes by close friends Velida Kent and Christopher Shapardanov.
Karim Morcos and Sofiya Yusypovych were skillful masters of ceremonies for the evening. But the highlight of the evening was Mr. Waschuk’s and Ms. Smerechuk’s response to the accolades they received.
Mr. Waschuk was presented the UCC Taras Shevchenko Medal for his outstanding contribution to public service. The Shevchenko Medal is the highest form of recognition granted by the UCC.
The Ukrainian Canadian community also paid tribute to Canadian police officers who have been providing training to Ukraine’s police forces as part of Canada’s support for security and democratic development in Ukraine as well as Canadian Armed Forces personnel participating in Operation UNIFIER, Canada’s training mission in Ukraine.
As Canada’s longest-serving ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Waschuk worked to bring Canada-Ukraine relations to a new level at a time of increased interest in Ukraine. With his depth of knowledge of Ukraine, he was a leader among diplomats in Kyiv and fully developed the Canadian presence in Ukraine. Ambassador Waschuk practiced diplomacy with integrity, openness, sincerity, accessibility and optimism, the UCC pointed out. He was able to articulate the need for a strong Canada-Ukraine relationship both with government officials, in the media and the general public.
As successful public service and effective diplomacy are always the result of teamwork, the UCC also honored Ms. Smerechuk, Ambassador Waschuk’s wife, who was president of the Ambassadors’ Spouses Club of Kyiv. Together, their commitment to community and public service, and their boundless energy provided Canada with a powerful voice in Kyiv, the UCC noted.
A special thank you was expressed to the Tribute Gala Organizing Committee, chaired by Olya Grod, for their hard work and dedication.