The Ukrainian Weekly 1998, No.14
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE:• Gloom descends upon Lviv in aftermath of vote — page 3. • Radekhiv voters head for the polls — page 4. • Ukraine’s U.N. Mission celebrates 40th anniversary — page 5. Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXVI HE KRAINIANNo. 14 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 1998 EEKLY$1.25/$2 in Ukraine T U Communist PartyW draws nearly 25 percent Canada’s Immigration Act under legislative review, support in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections “Not Just Numbers” report examined at hearings by Andrij Kudla Wynnyckyj tion policies in other countries. by Roman Woronowycz and the Green Party at 5.46 percent. Toronto Press Bureau The UCC-IC chair said the Ukrainian Kyiv Press Bureau In all, eight political parties passed umbrella body has asked to be consulted the minimum 4 percent mark in the vote TORONTO — On March 11 in Ottawa, about preparations of the Citizenship and KYIV — The Communist Party of for parties in the mixed election system the Canadian government held the last of its Immigration Bill, but added that constraints Ukraine won a convincing victory in that Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada institut- public consultations during a review of the on his time will limit his ability to lobby the elections to the Verkhovna Rada on ed for these elections. Candidates from 1978 Immigration Act and its policies in the government effectively in the coming March 29, finishing well ahead of the party lists will occupy 225 seats in the area of citizenship and immigration. months. However, he encouraged interested Rukh Party as well as Ukraine’s political Parliament. A report, commissioned in November parties to contact the CUIAS, the minister, center. In the single-mandate, direct represen- 1996, was made public earlier this year and their local members of Parliament. Although political pundits are predict- tation portion of the vote, by which the under the title “Not Just Numbers: A ing that the results of Ukraine’s second other 225 seats to the Verkhovna Rada Canadian Framework for Future Heat over language issue democratically held parliamentary elec- were filled, independents took the most Immigration.” The 178-page document, Suggestions to make proficiency in tions since independence in 1991 will which includes 173 recommendations, has English or French mandatory requirements change little in the composition and the (Continued on page 3) been scrutinized with a mixture of outrage, for applicants wanting to immigrate to paralysis of the 450-member Verkhovna suspicion and hope by immigrants and Canada have been particularly irksome. Rada, even political opponents to the sponsoring groups. Since mid-February In their introduction, the “Not Just Communists agree that their victory was these feelings have been given play in the Numbers” authors contended that along stronger than foreseen. nation’s press. with the “unique value base” articulated by “What would you expect when wages, Communists plan The report’s authors are Susan Davis, a the country’s Charter of Rights and pensions and stipends are not paid out?” former program officer of the United Freedoms, “language is a defining value of asked Ukraine’s President Leonid Kuchma Nations High Commissioner for Refugees major changes Canada,” which led them to suggest a num- at a press conference with Finland’s presi- by Pavel Politiuk and former national executive director of ber of measures that has gotten the govern- dent on March 30. “We should get on our Special to The Ukrainian Weekly the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of ment into hot water. knees and thank the pensioners who limit- Canada; Dr. Roslyn Kunin, president of an Citizenship and Immigration Minister ed the extent to which they voted the way KYIV — Ukrainian Communists economic consulting firm and a West Coast Lucienne Robillard has been attending the they did.” declared on the day after elections that, academic; and Robert Trempe, a retired sen- majority of hearings held in major cities Pensioners, as predicted, along with even though Ukraine’s Central Election ior bureaucrat from Quebec’s provincial across the country, and in February she residents of rural areas and citizens of Commission showed them attaining only Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. faced harsh reactions from Vancouver’s Crimea overwhelmingly supported the about 25 percent of the vote, they have On March 4, Eugen Duvalko, chairman large Asian Canadian community. The Communists. calculated that they received 33 percent of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress resultant media coverage has led the minis- President Kuchma also criticized in political party support and about 30 Immigration Committee (UCC-IC); ter and the government to soft-pedal the lan- those who had supported the mixed percent of the seats in district elections. Bohdan Mykytiuk, president of the guage requirements. election system law by which these And with that mandate they said they Toronto-based Canadian Ukrainian Mr. Duvalko called the recommenda- elections were run and those political are ready to begin the destructuring of Immigrant Aid Society (CUIAS); and tions concerning language proficiency centrists who could not find room for Ukraine’s modest reform efforts. Mykhailo Wawryshyn, a member of the “clearly unfair.” He criticized compromise to form a united center. “The people who voted and supported UCC-IC and of the CUIAS board of direc- Recommendation 35, which calls for a “(The election results) will come as a Communists indicated their negative atti- tors, participated in a public hearing in tuition fee for “all sponsored ... immi- cold shower to many politicians,” said tude to this regime, demanding to change Toronto’s cavernous Metro Convention grants who are 6 years of age or older Mr. Kuchma. it,” the leader of the Communist Party, Center. and have not achieved a basic knowledge Voters cast two votes: one for a specific They also submitted a joint response to Petro Symonenko, said at a news confer- of English or French,” saying it is bla- candidate to directly represent their district the government-sponsored report. In addi- ence on March 30. tantly discriminatory. and one for a political party of their choice. tion, Mr. Duvalko told The Weekly that the The chief of the presidential adminis- “First off, Canadian parents are not asked In the voting by party, the Communist UCC-IC and the CUIAS contributed to the tration, Yevhen Kushnariov, confirmed to pay additional funds for remedial classes Party, which had been predicted to win brief prepared by non-governmental organi- that the results were a result of today’s within the public education system, so why about 17 percent of voter support, fin- zation representatives of the NGO- difficult life for most Ukrainians, but should such a burden be placed on immi- ished much stronger, at 24.7 percent. The Government Committee on the Private suggested that the vote was a warning, grants?” asked Mr. Duvalko. Rukh Party, whose standing was slipping Sponsorship of Refugees and presented in not a demand for change. “A significant “Secondly, sponsors already pay a in the final weeks of the parliamentary Ottawa on March 11. number of people voted against the poor [recently introduced] Right of Landing fee races, according to election polls, fin- lives they lead today, and this is a warn- A “confused” report into the system,” he pointed out. ished a respectable 9.4 percent in the real ing to those conducting reforms in this Mr. Duvalko said the employment mar- thing. After Rukh came the Socialist Asked to give the “Not Just Numbers” ket has changed since the 1950s-1970s, a Party/Agrarian Party bloc at 8. 54 percent (Continued on page 4) report a grade, Mr. Duvalko, also the time when many non-English/French- CUIAS executive director, paused and then speaking immigrants could be accommo- said: “How do you average out good points dated by a wider range of low-skilled jobs, HOW POLITICAL PARTIES FARED IN THE VOTING FOR PARTIES/BLOCS and absolutely miserable points?” but “language proficiency is an easily The following results were released by the Central Election Commission in Kyiv on “The report is confused about its atti- acquirable skill that proceeds well as indi- April 1. The CEC said these are the complete results, though they are not yet official. tudes to immigration,” the UCC-IC chair viduals integrate with host communities.” said. “On one hand, it contends that immi- In addition, according to the joint gration is essential to economic and cultural Party Votes Percentage Number response, Ukrainian Canadians in the three of vote of seats vibrancy; and on the other, it becomes Prairie provinces “warmly welcome chil- Communist Party of Ukraine 6,550,268 24.68 84 obsessed with the financial burdens immi- dren who are not conversant in English into National Rukh Party 2,494,381 9.40 32 gration imposes.” their Ukrainian-English Bilingual schools. Mr. Duvalko said the opportunity for the These children enrich the bilingual school Socialist/Agrarian Parties coalition 2,267,675 8.54 29 UCC to offer formal submissions as the program and do not suffer academically Green Party 1,448,608 5.46 19 report was being prepared was limited. He from not having the initial proficiency in National Democratic Party 1,325,931 4.99 17 said there were few calls for input from the English.” Hromada Party 1,242,215 4.68 16 community, and that most of the legislative The report’s framers stated baldly that review committee’s consultative research Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine 1,071,611 4.04 14 focused on comparative studies of immigra- (Continued on page 5) Social Democratic Party – United 1,067,114 4.02 14 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 1998 No.