Getting them young: otic and religious, so that history will have a lot of facts about how brave and Instilling Ukrainian nationalism in children and youth gallant the Ukrainian kings were. And it will usually be stressed. Sometimes At age 11, Chrystia Freeland was interviewed they’ll talk about the negative points, but by her mother’s brother, Uncle Bohdan (son of their perspective will be that of the Nazi propagandist Michael Chomiak), for Ukrainian nation.4 (Emphasis added.) Student, a magazine circulated to Ukrainian- While this may be Freeland’s first Canadian university students. Five years earlier, appearance in print media, four members of her mother, Halyna Chomiak Freeland, wrote her family (the children of Michael Chomi- in Student about her own childhood pressures: ak) were already involved in Student for Chrystia about a decade. Her uncle Bohdan Chomi- “While growing up we were under pressure from Freeland ak had been on its staff (1972, 1978-80) and our parents [Alexandra and Michael Chomiak] 1979 was a frequent contributor during the 1970s.5 to be aware of our Ukrainianism and to be proud Her aunts (Halyna, Natalia and Chrystia, of it. This pressure also came from the Ukrain- , Dec. 1979 Chomiak) were also active in the magazine. ian community. It was exerted in many ways Chrystia Chomiak edited issues of Student ..... As a distant goal, we looked forward to the Student (1969-70) and was involved in organising, liberation of Ukraine and I can remember producing and publishing it (1973-74).6 childhood dreams of leading armies down the Natalia Chomiak wrote for Student and mountain sides. This pressure to remain proudly worked for its publishers (1972-74), the nationalistic was very necessary.” Ukrainian Canadian Students Union sionate Ukrainian nationalist, separated from (SUSK).7 Chrystia Freeland’s mother, Ha- s children, Chrystia Freeland and her nonUkrainian husband and left Peace lyna Chomiak Freeland, also wrote for Stu- her friend Paul Grod, former pres- River, Alberta. Upon moving to Edmonton, dent. In her late 20s in 1974, Halyna penned ident of the Ukrainian Canadian A Chrystia Freeland could become much clos- an article giving insights into childhood Congress (UCC), like thousands of other er to her mother’s father, Michael Chomiak “pressures” from her parents (Alexandra and Ukrainian ethnonationalists around the (aka Mykhailo Khomiak), his other children Mykhailo) and the Ukrainian community: world, were raised through the ranks of two and to their extended families. scouting groups. Both are historically linked 2013 While running for office, Chomiak had been the Nazi’s to the fascist Organisation of Ukrainian Na- Freeland was ‘Parade top Ukrainian-language news tionalists (OUN). While Grod is a product Marshal’ at this event, propagandist in Europe of the Ukrainian Youth Association (UYA likely the biggest show throughout WWII, and be- or SUM) of Stepan Bandera’s OUN(B), of Ukrainian nationalism

came deeply involved in Ed- , January 19, 2014. Freeland’s roots are in Plast with its ties to outside of Ukraine monton’s Ukrainian commu- Andriy Melnyk’s OUN(M). Both OUN fac- nity, which makes up 14% of tions, says historian Per Anders Rudling the city’s total population.3 continue to raise their children “in ritualis- The move to Edmon- tic celebration” of Ukrainian national heroes ton was a turning point in including those political and military lead- Freeland’s life because she be- ers who collaborated with the Nazis: came immersed in that com- Ukrainian Festival Toronto Children and adolescents, dressed in the photo: Ukrainian Weekly munity’s ubiquitous, Ukrain- brownshirts and black ties of the SUM, This UCC festival has received government grants the OUN(B) youth section, or the blue ian enculturation programs. uniforms of the Plast were made to march Besides joining Plast, she be- of $667,000 since 2009, including $60,500 in 2013 in formation, decorate graves of the fallen gan classes in two Ukrainian education pro- “[F]or me to grow up Ukrainian was to heroes, perform militaristic and folklor- grams: Alberta’s government-funded, bilin- grow up with the idea that I was different istic hymns, and recite pledges of alle- gual Ukrainian-English public school sys- and therefore special.... [We] were allowed giance in front of nationalist memorials.1 only to speak Ukrainian at home. tem, and the Ukrainian community’s ultra- At age nine, Freeland was signed up While growing up we were under patriotic, nationalist “Saturday schools.” with the Plast scouting troop in Edmonton. pressure from our parents to be aware of At age 11, in 1979, Chrystia was in- In 2013, when asked if Plast had been influ- our Ukrainianism and to be proud of it. terviewed by her mother’s brother, Bohdan This pressure also came from the Ukrain- ential during her childhood, Freeland said: ian community. It was exerted in many Absolutely. Plast was a very important Chomiak, son of Michael, for a nationalist ways. I and the other Ukrainian children part of my life growing up and it is a very Ukrainian newspaper, Student, which has that I knew were taught about the Ukraine important part of my daughters’ lives. I been distributed to Ukrainian youth in uni- — its history, beauty, culture and vast grew up in a Ukrainian community and versities across Canada since the late 1960s. richness. Both our parents and the was active in Plast. Now my two daugh- Her uncle Bohdan asked Chrystia to com- Ukrainian community pressured us to ters are active plastunky in New York (my pare the two Ukrainian education programs marry Ukrainians and to keep working son is only 3 years old). My elder daugh- in which she was enrolled. She replied that in Ukrainian organizations. As a distant ter went to Lviv this summer for [Plast’s] historically, geographically and gra- goal, we looked forward to the libera- 100th anniversary.2 matically [sic] speaking ... you learned tion of Ukraine and I can remember Freeland joined Edmonton’s Plast more in the Saturday school.... One of childhood dreams of leading armies troop in 1977. That year, her mother, Haly- the biggest differences though is that the down the mountain sides. This pressure na Chomiak Freeland, another intensely pas- Saturday schools are much more patri- to remain proudly nationalistic was very 52 Press for Conversion! Issue # 70 Spring 2021 necessary. It counteracted the dominant $667,000 since 2009 to organize this The red and black battle flag of his Ukrain- social pressure from the general society event.11) In 2013, when Freeland was the ian Insurgent Army was held high.15 To hold 8 to assimilate.” (Emphasis added.) Liberal Party’s “star candidate” running for that year’s parade, UCC-Toronto received Like her father, Michael Chomiak, Halyna parliament, she was honoured to be the fes- $58,200 in federal government funds.16 went into law. Funded by George Soros she tival’s Parade Marshal. Heading the parade As usual, Toronto’s 2016 parade en- moved to Ukraine to help draft its post- were a boy and girl in traditional Ukrainian joyed the avid participation of Ukrainian 9 Soviet constitution (1992-2002). dress carrying the event’s official banner. ethnonationalist groups which glorify fas- Chomiak’s children and grandchil- Then came uniformed veterans bearing the cist army formations that collaborated with dren could not help but be deeply affected flags of Ukraine, Canada, the US and NATO. the Nazis. In this annual display of Ukrain- by the belief system in which they were im- Right behind them was a military-style band ian patriotism, hundreds of children and mersed. From an early age, they were incul- with 40 uniformed youth marching in for- youth were joined by politicians (represent- cated into nationalistic Ukrainian culture not mation. Next in line was Freeland, with her ing the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP), only by family and friends, Ukrainian young children, waving from a vintage white veterans, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada schools and Plast, but by a myriad of other Cadillac. (See photo, opposite page.) An- (Andriy Shevchenko), and uniformed mem- extremely nationalistic groups, events and other military-style band soon marched past bers of the Bandera youth movement who activities. The Ukrainian Catholic church with 60 uniformed members12 of the UYA. filed by in-step behind the UYA marching was also very influential. As Freeland said As the youth affiliate of the League of band (Baturyn). The parade also featured of her mother, “when we were growing up, Ukrainian Canadians, which represents fol- such role models as Miss Teenage Canada she insisted my sister and I go to church eve- lowers of the OUN(B), the UYA’s Bandera and Miss Ukraine Toronto. Children from 10 ry Sunday with our grandfather.” youth are taught to hail their fascist WWII Ukrainian schools and uniformed members From childhood on, Freeland’s en- military heroes with a cult-like reverence. of Toronto’s Plast troop also took part.17 culturation into the cause of Ukrainian eth- Toronto’s Ukrainian Festival has This Toronto festival and similar nonationalism was practically inescapable. everything to be expected from such annual events continue to demonstrate that Cana- It is little wonder then that as an adult, her family events: music, dancing, food, and pol- da’s far-right Ukrainian diaspora is alive and commitment and dedication to this cause has iticians from all levels of government and well. This ethnonationalist community con- been relentless. Aided by her intelligence, Canada’s three largest political parties. The tinues to thrive thanks in no small part to her command of language, her extreme con- event’s organizers also permit fundraising ongoing government funding that has fun- fidence and personal chutzpah, Freeland be- for a far-right paramilitary group whose neled millions of dollars in grants to their came an outspoken voice promoting the street fighters are known for brutal violence right-wing member groups and events. mythic narratives of Ukrainian nationalism. in Ukraine. Toronto’s 2014 Ukrainian Fes- Thanks to state generosity, Canada’s Her grandfather would surely have been tival allowed Right Sector Canada to raise Ukrainian nationalists have been able to fos- proud of her skills as a mass media news money to buy military equipment for their ter their cultural traditions, beliefs and nar- propagandist, and as a politician dedicated fighters in Ukraine. CBC’s TV news showed ratives through the ritualistic inculcation of to the virlently Russophobic and antisocial- Right Sector’s table with images of Ban- children and youth. Dominated by anticom- ist policies that dominate their community. dera.13 That year’s festival received a munist groups with fascist roots, this com- Freeland has also passed on the tra- $99,700 Canadian government handout.14 munity’s young have not been made aware dition to her own family. She has for exam- In 2016, when Freeland marched that some of their most highly-revered war- ple involved her children in a Toronto festi- with her children in this Ukrainian parade, time heroes, organizations and movements val which is likely the world’s largest Right Sector Canada marched close behind were deeply engaged in collaborating with Ukrainian ethnonationalist event outside them. Among them, Ukrainian youth carried the Nazis. Those raised in this amnesic cul- Ukraine. (The local branch of the Ukraini- a banner bearing a large portrait of Bandera. tural milieu are proud to carry this flame of an Canadian Congress (UCC) has received Plast recruited for the Waffen SS and is now “at the forefront” of Ukraine’s holy war n 1943, “Plast actively supported the cre- government was ousted in a violent, US/ their oath of loyalty to God and Ukraine, ation of the Waffen-SS division,” wrote NATO-backed coup. Here is an excerpt from to help others and to live by the tenets of historian Per Rudling.1 Plast not only re- Plast’s religious call to military action: Plast to a level that few of us ever will. I May the Lord protect our Ukrainian serv- cruted Ukrainian youth for this Nazi division, As they were a century ago [when they icemen and women.5 (Emphasis added.) it also “provided many of the ... officers.”2 In fought for the Austro-Hungarian Empire in post-Soviet Ukraine, says Rudling, “Plast has WWI], Plast members are again at the forefront of the war effort.... Some of our References taken an active role in raising children to glo- Plast members organize aid and support for 1. Per Anders Rudling, “‘The honor they so clearly rify the OUN, the UPA [the OUN-B’s fascist the armed forces; others volunteer ... in in- deserve:’ Legitimizing the Waffen-SS Galizien,” army], and the Waffen-SS Galizien.” formation services and procurement and Journal of Slavic Military Studies 26:1, 2013, Plast issued a “Call for Support of delivery of medical supplies. Most impor- p.116. Plast Scouts in the Ukrainian Armed Forces tantly, many have now taken up arms and 2. Per Anders Rudling, “‘They Defended Ukraine’: and Volunteer Units.” It was written by the are defending their country and our an- The 14 Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS Re- Plast Conference with member groups in Aus- cestral land. visited,” Journal of Slavic Military Studies, Sep. We are profoundly proud of and in- tralia, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Poland, 2012, p.340. bit.ly/2DQrFRe debted to our Plast members serving in the 3. “Call for Support of Plast Scouts in the Ukrain- the UK, US and Ukraine.3 This “Call” to join armed forces or in the various volunteer or- ian Armed Forces....” bit.ly/PlastArmy the armed struggle has been on Plast Cana- ganizations supporting the war effort. They 4. Internet Archive of Plast Canada website da’s website since Feb. 2015.4 This was not are defending a new Ukraine and its demo- web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.plast.ca/ long after Ukraine’s proRussian/antiNATO cratic European values. They have taken 5. “Call for Support...” Op. cit. Spring 2021 Issue # 70 Press for Conversion! 53 Ukrainian nationalism and to pass it on to From Chomiak to Freeland: “keep that flame alive” future generations, just as it was passed— Close parallels and conflicts of interest in advocacy journalism with generous state assistance—to them. s a teen, in the late Cold War era of intern trying to pass the bar, he was beholden References and notes Reagan’s 1980s, Chrystia Freeland to a law firm defending terrorists? His ob- 1. Per Anders Rudling, “‘They Defended Abegan her journalism career with jectivity was also tainted by the Ukrainian Ukraine’: The 14. Waffen-Grenadier-Div. der jobs for two far-right Ukrainian-Canadian nationalist struggle with which he identified. SS (Galizische Nr.1) Revisited,” Journal of publications in which her maternal grandfa- Freeland too was in a major conflict Slavic Military Studies, Sep. 2012, pp.334-35. ther, Michael Chomiak, had also been deeply of interest. The widely-accepted narrative bit.ly/RudlingSS-Galicia involved. Both publications used Cold War is that she was an “accidental journalist”3 2. “A conversation with Chrystia Freeland,” Ukrainian Weekly, May 19, 2013, pp.9,17. memes about “captive nations” that were who, in 1990, suddenly began her meteoric bit.ly/UW-Freeland popularized by wartime fascists. While these rise through some of the world’s largest 3. The 2006 census said Edmonton had 145,000 were likely the last publications with which media firms. This media legend, created by Ukrainian Canadians (i.e. 45% of Alberta’s Chomiak worked, they were Freeland’s first Freeland herself, neglects any mention of her Ukrainian population). known jobs. The highly-charged, rightwing deep involvement in the divisive, partisan Population by ethnic origins, 2006 (Edmon- milieu of these workplaces must have helped fight to sever Ukraine from the USSR. In ton) bit.ly/2006-census shape her worldview, and to hone her skills 4. Bohdan Chomiak, “Life inside the Ukrainian as a propagandist eager to aid the cause of Schools,” Student, Dec.1979, p.6. bit.ly/Free79 5. This search of Student’s back issues shows his antiSoviet, Ukrainian ethnonationalism. active involvement (1972-80). bit.ly/B-Chom She was guided along this path not Stepan 6. Chrystia Chomiak (aka “Dolly Kumar”) only by her mother’s family, whose patri- Bandera bit.ly/C-Chom and bit.ly/C-Chom2 arch (Chomiak) was the Nazi’s top Ukrain- 7. Natalka Chomiak was SUSK’s Secretary ian news propagandist, but by her teachers, posing in his (1972-1973) and one of three on its “Control- the Ukrainian Catholic church and such mili- Plast uniform, ling Committee” (1973-1974). Some articles tantly patriotic youth groups as Plast. ran under her pseudonym “T.T.” (1977-80). at age 14 Chomiak had also been steeped in bit.ly/N-Chom in 1923. The July-1973 issue of Student (p.4) noted that the biased, advocacy journalism of ultra- she ran a SUSK summer program with patriotic Ukrainian culture. Both began their $11,000 from the Canadian government (the youthful media careers when thrown head- equivalent of $66,500 in 2020) to produce TV long into extraordinary historical events that shows and a national conference. It featured riveted ethnonationalist aspirations. Being early 1989, when her political meddling hit Trudeau’s External Affairs Minister Mitchell in the right place at the right time, they both the news, she signalled her intent to enter Sharp, who presented the government’s offi- received widespread public acclaim by serv- mainstream journalism and hinted at her cial position on the USSR. bit.ly/N-Chom2 ing their community’s interests. Their pub- 8. Halya Chomiak, “In Response,” Student, Jan. conflict of interest. “Freeland says her po- 1974, p.3. bit.ly/H-Chom lic fame, aided by outside political forces litical activism,” reported Don Retson, “may 4 9. Marko Levytsky, “Ukrainian Legal Founda- that ruthlessly exploited Ukrainian nation- not make her an ideal journalist.” tion’s Halyna Freeland ‘Independent thinking alism, allowed them to become media gate- Freeland’s legend also neglects men- is hard to acquire,’” Apr. 29, 1999. bit.ly/HalSor keepers editing large news enterprises. tion of her work for far-right propaganda or- 10. Chrystia Freeland, “The richness of her life,” In Freeland’s case, in her early 20s, gans in Canada, the US and Europe. These Financial Times, Jul. 13, 2007. bit.ly/CF-Mom she was simultaneously a student, political Ukrainian ethnonationalist and CIA-linked 11. Grants and Contributions to Ukrainian Fes- activist and journalist in Lviv, and was fully enterprises were the first steps in her jour- tivals from the Govt of Canada bit.ly/UkrFest engaged in Ukraine’s final NATO-backed nalism career. Freeland’s skill in feigning ob- 12. Parade / 2013 Toronto Ukrainian Festival www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPxtJLJtCVg battle to separate from the USSR. Chomiak jectivity allowed her to become a beloved 13. “Muted Ukrainian-Canadian celebrations,” too had been a student and journalist in darling of corporate media, which remains The National, CBC TV, August 23, 2014. Ukraine on the nationalist beat. While study- as entrenched in Russophobic/pro-NATO www.cbc.ca/player/play/2495967253 ing law at Lviv University (1930-31), Cho- rhetoric as it was throughout the Cold War. • 1:20: A Ukrainian-Canadian youth says he miak wrote for Dilo (Deed), the top daily may enlist in the Ukrainian military. paper in Galicia, southwest Ukraine. Later, The right place, the right time • 2:10: A Right Sector Canada spokesman, he worked on its editorial staff (1934-39).1 and the ultraright ideology wearing camouflage, is interviewed at their His work included covering at least one ter- Freeland’s media career benefited from her fundraising table. On display are OUN-B rorism trial of the Organisation of Ukrain- battle flags and portraits of its fascist politi- anticommunist and Russophobic views. cal and military leader, Stepan Bandera. ian Nationalists (OUN). To gain Ukraine’s These ideologies are valuable qualifications • 2:45: Then-Minister of Citizenship and independence, the fascist OUN assassinated for all candidates seeking careers in West- Immigration, Chris Alexander, calls the Right Polish politicians. While on Dilo’s staff, said ern media. And, being in Soviet Ukraine Sector’s booth a mere ‘rumour,’ refuses to scholar John Paul Himka, Chomiak worked during the final battle of the Cold War, put comment and says he is ‘proud’ to be there. for a Lviv law “firm that handled one of the Freeland in the right place at just the right 14. Grants & Contributions, op. cit. famous OUN assassination cases.” While time. Beginning in about 1990, she assisted 15. Ukrainian Festival Parade, 2016, Toronto. Chomiak’s articles “made him a famous cub billionaire George Soros in his efforts to www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKH78pJtf64 reporter,”2 said Himka (who as Chomiak’s • 15:58: Freeland appears in the parade. manipulate Ukrainian politics. At that time, • 16:30: The Right Sector group appears. son in law, is Freeland’s uncle), he had a Soros began funding the CIA-created prop- 16. Grants & Contributions, op. cit. conflict of interest. How could he write un- aganda network—Radio Free Europe/Radio 17. Ukrainian Festival Parade, 2016... Op. cit. biased news about such trials when, as an Liberty—which assisted Freeland’s entrée 54 Press for Conversion! Issue # 70 Spring 2021