15 January 2025
Dear Minister of Justice Virani:
On 24 October 2024, the Honourable Chris Alexander, a Distinguished Fellow of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, testified before the Standing Committee for Public Safety and National Security of the House of Commons. In discussing foreign interference in Canadian society, Mr. Alexander tabled documents suggesting that Mr. David Pugliese, a journalist working for the Ottawa Citizen, had been an agent of influence for the Soviet Union, recruited for that purpose by the Soviet secret police, (https://www.ourcommons.ca/documentviewer/ en/44-1/SECU/meeting- 125/evidence).
Mr. Pugliese denied the allegations before the SECU committee on 7 November 2024 (https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/441/SECU/Evidence/EV13424 473/SECUEV129-E.PDF) and in various media stories (e.g. https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/postmedia-reporter-says-kgb-allegations- are-ridiculous-and-entirely-false).
Meanwhile, Mr. Dwayne Strocen, president of Docufraud Canada, and a veteran of the RCMP, has said that in his professional opinion, these KGB documents are real (https://globalnews.ca/ news/10831226/reporter-david- pugliese-false-russian-spy-allegations/).
We call upon the Government of Canada to immediately set up an official inquiry to determine whether these accusations are credible and to take any measures required based on this investigation’s findings.
Sincerely yours, the undersigned,
Professor Christopher Adam, historian & editor, Canadian Hungarian Journal, Ottawa
Olesia Luciw-Andryjowcz, National President, League of Ukrainian Canadian Women, Edmonton
Leona Alleslev, former MP (Conservative Party of Canada)
Mick Antoniw, MS Senedd (Welsh Parliament), Cardiff, Wales
Professor Federigo Argentieri, political scientist, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy Boris Balan, President, Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko
Jars Balan, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Professor Olga Bertelsen, political scientist & author, Tiffin University, Ohio, USA Brian Bonner, independent journalist, Kyiv, Ukraine
Orysia Boychuk, President, Alberta Provincial Council, Ukrainian Canadian Congress
Vlodko Boychuk, Vice-President, Edmonton Branch, League of Ukrainian Canadians
Yevhen Burlaka, Vice-President, Edmonton Branch, Ukrainian National Federation of Canada
Roman Chabursky, Creative Director, Clear Impressions, Toronto Bohdan Chomiak, Director, GNT Terminal, Odesa, Ukraine
Yuri Chumak, LLB, Toronto Ron Chyczij, Toronto, Ontario
Jerry Duma, recipient, Order of Australia, Sydney, Australia
Marta Farion, President, Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Jonathan Fink, producer, Silicon Curtain podcast, London, England Dr Peter Gamlin, Professor emeritus, University of Toronto
Keir Giles, Senior Consulting Fellow, Chatham House, Russia & Eurasia Program, London, England
Alik Gomelsky, Jewish-Ukrainian researcher & author, Toronto
Olena Goncharova-Lafoy, journalist, North America News Desk, Kyiv Independent, Ukraine
Jaroslaw and Olya Grod, Etobicoke, Ontario
Nataliya Halych, Director, New Ukrainian Language School and UCC (Toronto Branch)
Robert Herchak, member, Victoria Branch, Ukrainian Canadian Congress Andrew Hladyshevsky, KC, Senior Counsel, Dentons Canada LLP, Edmonton Andrij Hluchowecky, Edmonton, Alberta
Sonia Holiad, member, Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Ontario Provincial Council Colonel (Ret’d) Mark Hutchings, MSM, CD, entrepreneur, Canada
Dr P Kallioniemi, creator, Vatnik Soup & Fellow, International Centre for Defence & Security, Estonia
Vicki Karpiak, Ukrainian Canadian community activist, Ottawa Maria Katchmar, teacher (Ret’d), Ottawa
Roman Katchmar, PEng, Ottawa
Dr Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, Director, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, Edmonton
Dr Bohdan Klid, historian & author, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, Edmonton
Jurij Klufas, President, Ukrainian National Federation, Toronto, Canada Simon Kouklewsky, producer, Ukrainian Time, Montreal
Dr Peter Kormylo, Ukrainian Information Service, London, UK
Zenon Kowal, délégué général honoraire des gouvernements francophones de Belgique, Bruxelles
Ihor Kozak, BEng, MBA, Vice-President, League of Ukrainian Canadians, Toronto Mykhaylo Kozlovskyy, President, Edmonton Branch, Ukrainian Youth Association Askold Krushelnycky, journalist and author, Kyiv, Ukraine & Washington, DC
Serhii Kuzan, Director, Ukrainian Cooperation and Security Center, Kharkiv, Ukraine Lubomyr Kwasynicia, President, Romyr Consultants Corporation, Toronto
Dr Serhiy Kvit, President, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine
Svyatoslav Lashkevych, Chairman, Vancouver Branch, Ukrainian National Federation
Dr Leonard Leshuk, author & independent historian, Washington, DC
Oleh Lesiuk, sculptor, President, Ukrainian Association of Visual Artists of Canada Marco Levytsky, journalist & editor, Ukrainian News/New Pathway, Edmonton Bruce Lilley, President, Ukrainian Canadian Congress, St John’s, Newfoundland
Professor Lubomyr Luciuk, author & political geographer, Royal Military College of Canada
Dr Bohdan Luhovyy, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Andrii Lytvynets, Edmonton Branch, League of Ukrainian Canadians Victor Malarek, investigative journalist & author, Toronto
Andriy Maleckyj, MA, MBA, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Professor Hugh Macdonald, political scientist, Boston University International Programs, London, UK
Paulette MacQuarrie, producer, Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio, Vancouver Lubomyr Markevych, Barrister & Solicitor (Ret’d), Alberta
Ksenia Maryniak, MA, translator, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Rev Dr Athanasius McVay, FRSA, FRHistS & Research Fellow, Chair of Ukrainian Studies, Toronto
Roman Medyk, past President, League of Ukrainian Canadians, Toronto Michael Melnyk, author & independent historian, UK
James Michaluk (Ret’d), administrator, Freedom for Ukraine, Winnipeg, Manitoba Paul Migus, Director, Paul Yuzyk Institute for Youth Leadership, Ottawa
Dr Victor Mishalow, Merited Artist of Ukraine, Toronto
Professor Alexander Motyl, political scientist & author, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA
Elvira Mruchkovska, President, Vancouver Branch, Ukrainian Canadian Congress Lidia Narozniak, LLB, Crown Attorney (Ret’d), Hamilton, Ontario
Marta Olynyk, translator, Montreal, Quebec
Steve Ostafichuk, Board Member, League of Ukrainian Canadians, Toronto Professor Victor Ostapchuk, historian & author, University of Toronto
Dr Pierre Pawliw, Lecturer, Université Laval, Sherbrooke, Quebec Mykhaylo Petechuk, President, Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation in Canada Ihor Petelycky, Toronto, Ontario
Taras Podilsky, President, Edmonton Branch, League of Ukrainian Canadians Andrij Potichnyj, Director, Unite with Ukraine (Ukrainian World Congress), Toronto Mark Preston-Horin, Certified Disability Management Professional, Victoria, British Columbia
Michael Pyniansky, Director, Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada, Toronto
Dr Natalia Pylypiuk, Professor emerita, University of Alberta, Edmonton Richard Ratzlaff, editor, Toronto
Bohdan Romaniuk, LLB, Canada-Ukraine Foundation (Vice President-Alberta) Mrs Anna Romanyshyn, MLS, Librarian (Ret’d), Toronto
Dr Oleh Romanyshyn, League of Ukrainian Canadians, Toronto
Peter Schturyn, President, Toronto Branch, Ukrainian Canadian Congress Roman Senkus, senior editor (Ret’d), Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Bohdan Shandor, former President, Ukrainian American Bar Association, Florida
His Excellency Andriy Shevchenko, former Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada, Kyiv Professor Myroslav Shkandrij, historian, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
Michael Shwec, Président, Congrès des Ukrainiens canadiens – Conseil provincial du Québec
Lisa Shymko, former Chair, Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Resource Centre Professor Ruslan Siromskyi, Dean, Faculty of History, Ivan Franko University, Lviv, Ukraine
Borys Sirskyj, Member (Ret’d), Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, Ottawa Ostap Skrypnyk, former President, Canada-Ukraine Foundation, Winnipeg Marsha Skrypuch, author, Brantford, Ontario
Captain (Ret’d) Andre Sochaniwsky, CD, President, Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada
Dr Ted Sosiak, MD, Toronto Myron Spolsky, Kyiv, Ukraine
Orest Steciw, Director, Ucrainica Research Institute, Toronto
Rev Father Jeffrey D Stephaniuk, Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church, Wynyard, Saskatchewan
Borys Sydoruk, BSc (Pharmacy), Calgary Lesia Szwaluk, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Robert Topolnytsky, BCom, MA (Ret’d), Toronto
Mykola Vorotilenko, Vice-President, Edmonton Branch, Ukrainian Canadian Congress
Oksana Wasylyk, administrator, Ukrainian National Federation Foundation, Toronto
Halya Wilson, member, Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Calgary Jerry Woloschuk, Justice of the Peace (Ret’d), Port Dover, Ontario
Ted Woloshyn, Ted Woloshyn Podcast, Toronto
Professor Oleh Wolowyna, demographer, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, USA
Yurij Wowczuk, Director, Vovk Foundation, Pittsburgh, USA
Borys Wrzesnewskyj, former MP (Liberal Party of Canada), Toronto
Bohdan Wynnycky, past-President, Ontario Provincial Council, UCC, Toronto Vera Yuzyk, member, Ottawa Branch, Ukrainian National Federation
Roman Zakaluzny, member, Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Ottawa Professor Walter Zaryckyj, Ukrainian American Freedom Foundation, New York
Professor Sergei Zhuk, historian & author, Ball State University, USA Dr Roman Zyla, Ottawa
