Canadian Foreign Affairs Committee Hearings in Ukraine

Kyiv - Representatives of the Ukrainian Canadian community welcomed the opportunity to participate in the visit to Ukraine by Canada’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development.  The delegation consists of 7 Canadian Members of Parliament conducting hearings of the Committee starting May 14, and open to the public and media in Kyiv, Kharkiv and L’viv, Ukraine.

The Parliamentary Committee’s delegation is composed of the following members:

   The Hon. Bob Dechert, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs;

   The Hon. Lois Brown, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation (CIDA);

   Dave Van Kesteren, MP (Chatham - Kent - Essex);

   Nina Grewal, MP (Fleetwood Port Kells);

   Linda Duncan, MP (Edmonton-Strathcona);

   The Hon. Ralph Goodale, MP (Wascana); and

   Alexandrine Latendresse, MP (Louis St. Laurent)

The Committee members are being accompanied by a delegation from the Ukrainian Canadian community composed of: Taras Zalusky, Executive Director, Ukrainian Canadian Congress; Bohdan Onyschuk, Chairman, Canada Ukraine Foundation; and Borys Potapenko, Executive Director, League of Ukrainian Canadians.

The Committee will hold several sessions of hearings on issues such as: selective prosecutions; the economy and business climate in Ukraine; the situation with civil society and human rights groups; political developments in Ukraine; preparations for the elections to the Verkhovna Rada; and regional economic development.  In addition, the Committee will meet with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine; and representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Central Electoral Commission and the Human Rights Ombudsperson of the Verkhovna Rada; as well as human rights and civil society groups.

Visit www.ucc.ca for details on all meetings open to the public.