XXV TRIENNIAL CONGRESS OF UKRAINIAN CANADIANS ADOPTS RESOLUTIONS SETTING DIRECTION FOR UCC FOR 2016-19
November 4, 2016. The XXV Triennial Congress of Ukrainian Canadians, held in Regina September 29-October 2, 2016, adopted a series of resolutions that will guide the work of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) for the next three years. Over 250 delegates from Ukrainian Canadian organizations and communities across Canada participated in the work of the historic Triennial Congress.
"These resolutions set out an ambitious agenda and plan for the next three years. We have left the Congress energized by the vibrant discussion," stated Paul Grod, National President of the UCC. "As the UCC continues its role as the voice of the 1.3-million-strong Ukrainian community in Canada, we call on all our member organizations, provincial councils and local branches to work towards achieving these important goals."
The Resolutions adopted by the XXV Congress focused on several themes:
Community Development
The Congress resolved to promote the greater involvement of Ukrainian Canadians in all levels of Canadian government through the development and implementation of education and mentorship programs to support the skills and strategies required for effective government relations; Re-establish the UCC Parliamentary Internship Program; Promote the involvement of youth in the UCC by including a minimum of one person under the age of 30 as a member of all working committees of UCC; Establish a communications advisory group that will oversee and execute individual communication campaigns that meet the specific needs of the community and general public and assist councils and branches in approaching and dealing with local media; Support Ukrainian credit unions who donate generously by encouraging membership; Establish a consortium of institutions with a Ukrainian Canadian mandate to ensure that the ethno-history of the Ukrainian Canadian community is accurately and respectfully presented.
Internment Recognition
The Congress resolved to work with the Government of Canada to designate the Spirit Lake Cemetery as both a Canadian national historic site and Quebec provincial historic site; work with the Government of Canada to support the designation of all Internee cemeteries of the Great War as sites of national historical importance.
Holodomor Education and Recognition
The Congress called on local UCC Branches develop an action plan to commemorate the Holodomor on the 4th Saturday of November each year with a special focus of preparing for the 85th year in 2018.
Ukrainian Education in Canada
The Congress called on the UCC National Ukrainian Education Council work on the development of a standardized curriculum/program of studies for the History of Ukraine which includes Euromaidan, recent events in Ukraine and Ukrainian Canadian history; Investigate the possibility of extending the bilingual Ukrainian program system to Ontario and other provinces using the Alberta/Manitoba/Saskatchewan models; Work towards implementing a policy of active participation in commemorating the Holodomor in all schools.
National Arts Council
The Congress called on the UCC National Arts Council establish a series of workshops, in support of various arts disciplines in locations across Canada.
Immigration
The Congress resolved to call upon the Government of Canada to increase its immigration target to 1% of the total population and that Ukraine is accorded a percentage of immigrants to Canada proportional to the percent of Ukrainian Canadians to the general population and to improve its' application processing activity in Ukraine to take advantage of these increase in immigration targets; Support the funding by federal, provincial and municipal governments of ethno specific settlement organizations.
Governance
The Congress resolved to publish the resolutions from the XXV Congress, terms of reference, mandate and membership of all working committees. The Congress called on UCC Committees to report on their financial allocations, disbursements, specific activities and accomplishments; The Congress resolved to develop a comprehensive policy on advertising and communications; Establish an academic advisory committee to provide advice to the UCC on matters related to their area of expertise; The Congress resolved to maintain a policy of constructive engagement with respect to the Congress's interaction with the Government of Canada.
Canada-Ukraine Relations
The Congress resolved to advocate for equal access to constitutional rights for all Ukrainian citizens and maintain a policy of constructive engagement with the Government of Ukraine and with any future government elected to represent the citizens of Ukraine; Called upon the Government of Canada to conclude negotiations on the Canada Ukraine Defence Cooperation Agreement and would improve interoperability and deepen cooperation between Canada's and Ukraine's military; In conjunction with the Canada Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, the Congress resolved to explore ways of informing and promoting trade opportunities with Ukraine through UCC's extensive network of provincial councils and local branches; The Congress also continued the mandate of the UCC Ukraine Appeal to coordinate, promote, help prioritize and maximize the effectiveness of aid to Ukraine.
Greetings from the XXV Congress were sent to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; the Ukrainian Catholic Church; the Ukrainian Evangelical Association of Canada; the Government of Canada, Members of Parliament and the Senate with celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Canada in 2017. Greetings were also sent to the Province of Saskatchewan and the City of Regina in gratitude for their warm hospitality and support of the Congress, and the Ukrainian World Congress and national umbrella organizations of the Ukrainian diaspora.
Recognitions were included in the resolutions for the many significant anniversaries that will occur over the next three years including the 150th anniversary of Canada, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, the 50th anniversary of the Ukrainian World Congress, the 70th anniversary of Operation Visla and the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies( CIUS) and the 100th anniversary of awarding of the Victoria Cross to Filip Konoval.
The full texts of the Resolutions of the XXV Triennial Congress of Ukrainian Canadians are available in English and Ukrainian at: XXV Triennial Congress Resolutions - Bilingual.
