There are at least three new members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of ethnic Ukrainian origin in Alberta following the April election which saw the left-of-center New Democratic Party (NDP) government replaced by the United Conservative Party (UCP), itself a merger of the former ruling Progressive Conservatives and the right-wing Wildrose Party.
That brings the total number to eight in this particular sitting of the legislature, but the number could be much higher. At present, I have only been able to identify those newcomers who actually have Ukrainian surnames. Eight of the 10 from the previous legislature, including three of the five returning incumbents, have non-Ukrainian surnames, but have identified themselves as being of Ukrainian origin. This is not unusual in a region that Ukrainians first settled over 125 years ago with several generations having intermarried. According to the 2016 census, almost 80 percent of the 369,090 Albertans who identify themselves as being of ethnic Ukrainian origin are of multi-ethnic origin. (One has to note that if one is to include Canadians of geographic Ukrainian origin, the numbers are even bigger as this also applies to ethnic Jews, Germans, Poles and so on.)
Of the three new MLAs (all UCP) who have been identified as being of ethnic Ukrainian origin, two have some significant historic links. Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, who defeated an incumbent who is also of ethnic Ukrainian origin, Jessica Littlewood (NDP), is descended from one of the first two Ukrainian settlers to set foot on Canadian soil – Ivan Pylypiw. Calgary-Acadia MLA Tyler Shandro is the grand nephew of Alberta’s first Ukrainian MLA, Andrew Shandro, who represented the Ukrainian bloc-settlement constituency of Whitford from 1915 to 1922.
Historical connections: Among the newly elected MLAs are Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk (above), who is descended from Ivan Pylypiw, one of the first two Ukrainian settlers to arrive in Canada in 1891, and Tyler Shandro (below), who is the grandnephew of Andrew Shandro, the first Ukrainian ever elected to the Alberta Legislature.
Tyler Shandro, in particular, is one newcomer who looks to become a potential star – both in terms of his role in government and his relations with our community. Despite having no previous legislative experience, Mr. Shandro has been appointed Alberta’s Minister of Health – overseeing a department that is responsible for the largest chunk (45 percent) of the provincial budget.
He was one of the first directors of the Calgary Ukrainian festival and still volunteers for the event. Mr. Shandro also belongs to the Ukrainian Hockey League, has volunteered for the Calgary Branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, used to be a board member of the University of Calgary Ukrainian Students’ Club and was recruited into the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Calgary by Past President Bohdan Romaniuk, whom he considers a mentor.
“I met Tyler several years ago through UCPBA Calgary. He’s young, intelligent, principled and very hard-working. I have no doubt that he will serve his constituents and the residents of Alberta faithfully and to the very best of his abilities,” says Mr. Romaniuk.
“Just as importantly, from the perspective of our own community, Tyler will do so as the proud descendant of Ukrainian pioneers who came to this country over a century ago to secure the rights and freedoms that we now all share,” he adds.
Another incoming MLA of Ukrainian origin, Nate Glubish (Strathcona-Sherwood Park) was named minister of service for Alberta. Returning UCP incumbent Mike Ellis (Calgary-West), whose maternal great-grandparents came from Ukraine, was appointed to the non-Cabinet position of government whip. Another UCP incumbent of ethnic Ukrainian origin is David Hanson (Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul), whose great-grandparents arrived in Canada in 1910. Returning NDP incumbents include former Deputy Premier and Health Minister Sarah Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora), former Minister of Economic Development and International Trade Deron Bilous (Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview) and Edmonton-McClung MLA Lorne Dach.
Even the leaders have strong connections with our community. Former Premier Rachel Notley danced with the Veselka dancers in the small northern town of Fairview as a child, while new Premier Jason Kenney established very strong connections as a former multiculturalism and immigration minister in the previous Conservative federal government. He was instrumental in negotiating the internment settlement with the Ukrainian community, played a role in the passage of the Holodomor Bill, established the Paul Yuzyk Multiculturalism Award, named John Yaremko, the first Ukrainian-origin minister in Ontario, as the first recipient of this honor and attended countless community events.
Although Ukrainians suffered considerable discrimination during their early years of settlement, and children were strapped for speaking Ukrainian in school right into the 1950s, times have changed and the advances made during the past half-century have been remarkable. They include the creation of a publicly funded English-Ukrainian bilingual school program, the establishment of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta, an Advisory Council on Alberta-Ukraine Relations, memorandums of understanding with two Ukrainian oblasts, several trade missions, numerous cultural, academic and economic exchanges, just to name a few.
We can certainly expect this new government to be as open to the Ukrainian community as were previous ones. While the switch from the NDP to the UCP will produce radical changes in terms of economic policy and federal-provincial relations, relations with the Ukrainian community will remain as good as ever.
Marco Levytsky may be contacted at [email protected].