2007 3(26) - UCWLC

The author identifies some key issues of considerable importance to the Ukrainian community—Internment, Denaturalization and Deportation, Holodomor, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), theirrelative obscurity outside the community and the need for all Canadians to know more about them.Errors of OmissionBy Dr. William ZuzakOver the years, I have noted thatthe news media, politicians andpublic figures are reluctant to referto human rights abuses perpetratedagainst Ukrainians. I haveoften wondered whether theseerrors of omission are deliberate,simply a result of ignorance, or amatter of political correctness—orlack thereof.The issue of Internment ofUkrainians during WWI is a perfectexample. Despite being onthe political agenda since the1980s, this event is absent frompublic discourse:n On 22 Feb 2007 during aHouse of Commons discussion onCitizenship and Immigration, twoMPs (Brian Fitzpatrick and JasonKenney) talked at some length asto incidents of discriminationagainst immigrants in Canada—the ship with Jewish refugees beforeWWII being denied landingrights, Japanese Internment, theChinese head tax, FLQ crisis,etc., but failed to refer to UkrainianWWI Internment. (A coupleof days earlier, Joe Comartin wasguilty of a similar omission.)n On 28 Feb 2007 (about 7:15a.m.) CBC Radio 740 in Edmontonhad Ron Wilson interviewingcriminal lawyer, Bob Aloneissi,about security certificates. Hereferred to Internment of Japaneseduring WWII and the Chinesehead tax, but did not refer to Internmentof Ukrainians duringWWI as examples of discrimination.n On 04 Mar 2007 (2:00-4:00p.m. MST), CBC Radio CrossCountry Checkup had a discussionon security certificates. At28 Íàøà Äîðîãà îñiíü/2007least 2 people referred to WarMeasures Act applied in 1970FLQ crisis in Quebec and internmentof Japanese during WWII.No one mentioned that the WarMeasures Act was initially usedto intern over 5,000 Ukrainiansin 26 concentration camps scatteredacross Canada from 1914to 1920.Bureaucratic resistance andthe never-ending posturing /snipingbetween Liberal/Conservativepoliticians prevented this issuebeing resolved before the last remainingsurvivor Mary (Manko)Haskett passed away. (See theJuly 25-August 07, 2007 issue ofthe Ukrainian News.)The second issue, which ismissing from public discourse, isthe denaturalization and deportation(d&d) policy being utilizedsince 1995 to revoke the citizenshipof aging Ukrainians for allegedimmigration infractions. On17 May 2007 a committee of federalcabinet ministers decided notto revoke the citizenship of WasylOdynsky and Vladimir Katriuk,but did revoke the citizenship ofUkrainian-born Helmut Oberlanderand Jacob Fast. TheUkrainian-Canadian communitymust demand an apology and financialrestitution for the victimsof this fraudulent process.Proper understanding of theHolodomor of 1932-33 and of theUkrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)fighting for Ukraine’s independenceagainst both the Germansand the Bolsheviks during WWIIand thereafter is crucial toUkraine’s development as a democraticindependent state.Thanks to the efforts of JamesMace and his supporters much ofthe world is beginning to recognizethe Holodomor as genocide,although there is vicious resistancefrom Ukrainophobes andRussophiles both within and outsideof Ukraine. It is interestingthat General Romeo Dallaire, whowas a direct witness of the genocidein Rwanda, confessed that hehad been unaware of the Ukrainiangenocide.Unfortunately, few peoplearound the world recognize thatUkraine suffered complete devastationand over nine million dead,imprisoned or exiled during andafter WWII. In particular, the heroicand tragic story of the UPAin Western Ukraine is comparableto the Holodomor in Eastern Ukraine.Both traumatized Ukrainiansfor generations and unto the presentday. A snapshot of the “UPAresistance in the Bereziv region”is available on my website.So how are we to prevent“errors of omission” in the future?Simply become informedabout these issues and whensomeone on radio, TV or livefails to make an appropriate referenceto the Ukrainian tragedy,bring it to their attention if at allpossible. Many of these peoplewill appreciate our interruption orintercession. Record the incidentfor posterity. Each of us can doour little bit.Dr. William Zuzak of Edmonton, a retiredphysicist in the fields of nuclear fissionand controlled thermonuclear fusion,comments on relevant issues to theUkrainian community on his websitehttp://www.telusplanet.net/public/mozuz/.