Speeches – 2008

The Honourable Jason Kenney

Annual Ukrainian New Year's Gala (Malanka)

Toronto, Ontario
January 12, 2008

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(Acknowledge VIPs)

Ladies and gentlemen,

Allow me to begin by saying what a pleasure it is for me to be with you in Toronto for this year' s Malanka.

I appreciate the Ukrainian Youth Association Plast' s having included me in this evening' s festivities.  The Malanka is a special occasion for people of Ukrainian origin, not only in Canada but throughout the world, and I am delighted to join in your celebration.

Events such as these are a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other, and to experience our differences while celebrating our common Canadian identity.

As Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, I am proud to live in a country that embraces many cultures. Our Government considers Canada' s diversity to be one of our greatest assets, and we are committed to strengthening our pluralism and our national cohesion. 

Our core Canadian values are democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law.  The more than 200,000 people who come to Canada annually from every corner of the world embrace these values, and they also add an often indefinable element to our sense of who we are.

The Government of Canada recognizes that Ukrainian culture and tradition have enriched our society, and Malanka provides us with an excellent opportunity to recognize the many contributions that the Ukrainian community has made to this country.

The more than one million Canadians of Ukrainian descent have played an important role in building our society.  At the same time, they have been instrumental in fostering the relationship that exists between Canada and Ukraine. 

Our special kinship with Ukraine was evident in October of 2007.  Canada was proud to co-sponsor the government of Ukraine' s motion at UNESCO honouring the millions of people who perished in Holodomor.  The motion acknowledged that the deaths resulting from the famine in Ukraine and other parts of the Soviet Union between 1932 and 1933 were caused by the brutal dictatorship of Josef Stalin.

As well, on November 28, 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended a commemorative ceremony for the victims of the famine.  In speaking about the many events planned in Canada on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Holodomor, Prime Minister Harper said:

"Rarely did dogma and dictatorship combine to more murderous effect than in the regime of the communist tyrant Josef Stalin….Between the two world wars and the long cold war that followed, apologists tried to persuade us that the ideology of communism was benign. 

They said we should be neutral towards it – an "honest broker." They said we should learn to live with it – that we had nothing to fear from the Soviet Empire. Canadians knew better. So we took a stand. We stood for freedom and fundamental human rights. We stood against oppression in Ukraine.  We stood with its brave people, and those of the other captive nations of central and Eastern Europe. And when Ukraine won her freedom, we became the first western country to formally recognize her membership in the free world."

In closing, I want to commend the Ukrainian Youth Association Plast on its efforts to encourage young people to expand their knowledge of Ukrainian history, geography, literature, and traditions. This important work is helping to preserve and promote an important part of Canada' s rich and diverse heritage, and it is greatly appreciated.

As well, I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year!
Novym Rokom!
[Happy New Year in Ukrainian]