Canadians remember with pride the role that our 1,000 observers and mission leader former Prime Minister John Turner played during the 2004 election in Ukraine.

In January 2010, the first presidential election since the Orange Revolution will take place. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress is asking for Canada to send 500 observers this time. The minister only announced 60. The Congress is disappointed. NGOs in Ukraine are worried…

Why has the government slashed Canada’s support by nearly 90%?

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“Unfortunately, Ukraine’s democracy is fragile and needs our support. Russian interference and threats coupled with economic challenges in Ukraine have strained democratic institutions in this country from which 1.2 million Canadians draw their origin. Under previous Canadian governments, Canada and Ukraine have established a ‘special relationship’ and Ukrainian Canadians have played a pivotal role in Ukraine’s path to independence and democracy. It is for these reasons that the Conservative government’s inadequate announcement of a contingent of 60 election observers is so disappointing. Compared to the 500-strong contingent of official election observers sent by the previous Liberal government, the Conservative government’s efforts can best be described as embarrassing,” – Borys Wrzesnewskyj.

Read the full story at e-Poshta

Call to action

Contact your Member of Parliament, the Prime Minister and members of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group:

• Mark Warawa, Chair
• Bonnie Crombie, MP
• Consiglio Di Nino, Senator
• Gerard Kennedy, MP
• Ed Komarnicki, MP
• David Smith, Senator
• Mike Wallace, MP

including those three members who did not support the motion to send 200 official Canadian election observers for the Ukrainian presidential election:

• Peter Goldring, Edmonton East
• Joy Smith, Kildonan-St.Paul
• Raynell Andreychuk, Senator

Below is the e-mail I have sent in hopes it will encourage you to write as well to everyone above:

To: Harper.S@parl.gc.ca, warawm7@parl.gc.ca, Crombie.B@parl.gc.ca, dininc@sen.parl.gc.ca, Kennedy.G@parl.gc.ca, KomarE@parl.gc.ca, smithd@sen.parl.gc.ca, WallaM@parl.gc.ca, GoldrP@parl.gc.ca, SmithJ@parl.gc.ca, andrer@sen.parl.gc.ca

Subject: Why has the government slashed Canada’s Ukrainian elections support by nearly 90%?

Ukraine’s democracy is fragile and needs our support. Russian interference and threats coupled with economic challenges in Ukraine have strained democratic institutions in this country from which 1.2 million Canadians draw their origin. Under previous Canadian governments, Canada and Ukraine have established a ‘special relationship’ and Ukrainian Canadians have played a pivotal role in Ukraine’s path to independence and democracy. It is for these reasons that the Conservative government’s inadequate announcement of a contingent of 60 election observers is so disappointing. Compared to the 500-strong contingent of official election observers sent by the previous Liberal government, the Conservative government’s efforts can best be described as embarrassing.

While the mainstream media tries to bury the Orange Revolution conveniently before next month’s Presidential election, the Canadian Press held a surprisingly insightful interview the pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych who didn’t hold back on who his allegiance is with:

Viktor Yanukovych, whose Kremlin-backed election victory in 2004 was overturned by the Supreme Court amid allegations of fraud, says the pro-Western revolution that brought his rivals to power has led to political chaos, corruption and a dismal economy.

“So what did this Orange Revolution give us?,” Yanukovych asked in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “Freedom of speech? That’s very good. But what price did the Ukrainian people pay for this? For the development of this democratic principle in our country, the price was too great.”

…

The Orange Revolution took Ukraine out of Russia’s orbit, as the pro-Western leadership sought membership in the European Union and NATO. It also deepened animosity between the pro-Russian east and the west of the country, where Ukrainian nationalism is strong.

Yanukovych said his first priority as president would be to revive the use of the Russian language in schools and in the workplace, a move that would reverse the “forced Ukrainization” of the millions of Russian-speaking Ukrainians who support him.

…

He repeated his pledge not to seek membership in NATO, Russia’s Cold War foe. But he said he would give his full support to Medvedev’s proposal for a joint European security regime, which has gotten an icy reception in most of Europe.

He also promised, if elected, to do everything in his power to speed Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization.

…

Yanukovych, a barrel-chested hunting enthusiast, also denied that his 2004 presidential victory had been fixed. Instead the Supreme Court broke the law when it overturned his election and ordered another round of voting, he said.

“The third round of those elections was illegal,” he said. “Why? Because five years have passed, and in those five years, the falsification of my election has basically not been proven. This means that those elections were legal. They were not rigged.”

…

The use of Russian, seen by its opponents as a symbol of Soviet subjugation, has been phased out.

On a recent campaign trip to the Russian-speaking Crimean peninsula, where he enjoys broad support, Yanukovich poked fun at the Ukrainian language and the politicians who insist on speaking it.

So beware Ukrainian voters, this man is dangerously close to winning the election on January 17th and is intent on destroying the Ukrainian identity and the ideals of the Orange Revolution.