Goldring calls for committee study on Canada-Ukraine Geo-Political realities

Ottawa - Peter Goldring, Member of Parliament for Edmonton East, says the 20^th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence is a good REASON for the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development to extensively examine the Canada-Ukraine geo-political realities of today.

“When Ukraine declared its independence from the USSR in 1991 Canada was the first Western nation to extend diplomatic recognition,” Mr. Goldring points out. “That act was the beginning of a strong diplomatic relationship between the two countries that continues to this day.

“Ukraine potentially can be a leading economically and politically advanced Eastern European nation, and be a key economic hub in the region with the former Soviet satellites of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

“It would be appropriate therefore for the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development to conduct a study of the Canada-Ukraine relationship, with a historical review of the past 20 years since independence and projections for the future, with a focus not only on the geopolitical landscape of the region but also on trade, human rights and the regional economy.”

Such an undertaking could encompass as well Canadian interaction with the other former Soviet Union countries of the region and Russia, and how the relationship with Ukraine impacts those relationships.

Canada is home to the third-largest Ukrainian community in the world. More than 1.2 million Canadians trace their ancestry to Ukraine, with the first Ukrainian settler having arrived in Canada 120 years ago. Given the size of the Ukrainian-Canadian community and the importance of Canada’s role in the region, a study of this type is both relevant and timely.