OTTAWA – Fifteen Ukrainian university students are participating in the 27th Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program (CUPP) in the Canadian Parliament.
On October 31, 2017, the interns held a Prayer for Peace in Ukraine and Throughout the World at the “Reconciliation: The Peacekeeping Monument” located on Parliament Hill. Clergy of various faiths read the prayers for peace, and Andrew Bennett, Canada’s former ambassador for religious freedom delivered the closing prayer.
That evening, a reception was held at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building, featuring many distinguished guests and speakers. Among the speakers were Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko; Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman of Ukraine; Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale; Member of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj, chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group; MP James Bezan, deputy chair of the National Defense Committee; Ihor Bardyn, director of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program; and Taras Pidzamecky, president of Ukrainian National Federation of Canada.
The 15 interns were welcomed to Canada back on September 27, 2017, by Ukraine’s ninth ambassador to the country, Mr. Shevchenko, at the Embassy of Ukraine. All of the students were introduced, noting their universities and the members of Parliament in whose offices they would be serving internships.
Earlier, on September 12, 2017, these interns plus a group of CUPP alumni were hosted in Kyiv at the residence of Canada’s ambassador to Ukraine, Roman Waschuk. On that occasion they celebrated Canada’s 150th anniversary.
The meeting in Kyiv was also an opportunity to celebrate the strong ties between Canada and Ukraine, the countries’ common values and shared ambitions. Ambassador Waschuk spoke about Canada’s proud traditions of multiculturalism and of his belief that “Ukrainian DNA” has been deeply integrated into the Canadian identity, placing particular stress on the important role that Ukrainians have played in contributing to the ethnic diversity and history of Canada.
Interns of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program on Parliament Hill in Ottawa gathered on the occasion of the Prayer for Peace in Ukraine and Throughout the World.