In this issue: Guest speakers | Resolutions | Constitutional Amendments | Letters
The 49th Convention will feature two guest speakers. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ivan Katchanovski will attend the convention to speak at a Sunday session specifically devoted to developments in Ukraine. We are also pleased to announce that distinguished journalist Cecil Rosner will speak at the Convention banquet Saturday evening.
Dr. Ivan Katchanovski
Ivan Katchanovski is a Ukrainian and Canadian political scientist at the University of Ottawa. He was born in Lutsk in Western Ukraine and studied in universities in Kyiv and Prague. He received Ph.D. from the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University
He specializes primarily in politics, conflicts, political violence, and the far right in Ukraine. His academic publications include 6 books, 22 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and 13 chapters.
He was Visiting Scholar at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, Visiting Assistant Professor at the Department of Politics at the State University of New York at Potsdam, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, and Kluge Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress. His publications, interviews, and comments appeared in more than 3,500 media reports in over 80 countries.
Cecil Rosner
Cecil Rosner has been a professional journalist in Canada for nearly five decades, concentrating for most of that time on reporting and supervising investigative journalism projects. He has taught the principles of investigative journalism widely, and is the author of the definitive history of the genre in Canada – Behind the Headlines: A History of Investigative Journalism in Canada, published by Oxford University Press. He was with the CBC for 31 years, and his last position was as executive producer of The Fifth Estate, CBC's flagship investigative journalism program. For 13 years he served as managing editor of CBC Manitoba, overseeing all editorial content on radio, television and online. His latest book, published in 2023, is Manipulating the Message - How Powerful Forces Shape the News (Dundurn Press).
Cecil’s work has been recognized in many ways over the years. He has won Michener and Gemini Awards for his journalism, medals from the New York and Columbus Film Festivals, along with many others. In 2019 he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by RTDNA Canada, the Radio, Television and Digital News Association. He has taught the principles of investigative journalism in seminars and workshops across Canada and abroad for the last 30 years, and has taught a course in Investigative Journalism at the University of Winnipeg since 2005. In 2023, he created a course at the University of Manitoba called Media Literacy, Critical Thinking and Investigative Journalism which he continues to teach. He is also the co-author of When Justice Fails: The David Milgaard Story (McClelland and Stewart), which chronicled the story of a man who spent 23 years in jail after being wrongly convicted of murder. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, he is currently the managing editor of the Investigative Journalism Foundation.
Resolution in Support of Palestine
Whereas, over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 140,000 wounded (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/over-60000-palestinians-have-died-in-the-israel-hamas-war-gazas-health-ministry-says) and over 2 million people have been uprooted and displaced since October 7,2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war in Gaza;
Whereas Israel continues to escalate its violence in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settlers and Israeli forces raid towns, burn property, raid refugee camps to drive people from their homes and annex their land;
Whereas, near daily Israeli strikes have hit schools, shelters, medical facilities , hospitals, universities and other civilian buildings , indiscriminately killing men, women and children who were attempting to seek medical assistance or access food;
Whereas, the UN backed IPC (Integrated Food Security Phases Classification – the world’s leading hunger monitor) has officially declared a famine in Gaza, as a direct result of Israel’s deliberate obstruction of food and aid convoys, and one-quarter of the population is facing starvation, destitution, and death ( www.who.int/news/item/22-08-2025-famine-confirmed-for-first-time-in-gaza) :
Whereas, starvation is being used as a weapon of war which is a crime under the Geneva convention;
Whereas, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his ministers continue to deny that an engineered famine is happening in Gaza, rejecting claims of its starvation policies as a “distorted campaign of international pressure” ( https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/israels-leader-claims-no-one-in-gaza-is-starving-data-and-witnesses-disagree) :
Whereas, Francesca Albanese – Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 concludes that “the violence that Israel has unleashed against the Palestinian people is not happening in a vacuum, but is part of a long-term intentional, systematic, State-organized forced displacement of the Palestinians”. She further states that “[s]ince its establishment, Israel has treated the occupied people as a hated encumbrance and threat to be eradicated, subjecting millions of Palestinians, for generations, to everyday indignities, mass killing, mass incarceration, forced displacement, racial segregation and apartheid. Advancing its goal of “Greater Israel” threatens to erase the Indigenous Palestinian population”
Whereas, the Report urges that all States “use …their political leverage – commencing with a full arms embargo and sanctions – so that Israel stops the assault against the Palestinians, accepts a ceasefire and fully withdraws from the occupied Palestinian territory in line with the ICJ (international Court of Justice) Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024;” (The ICJ stated that Israel must end its presence and practises in the occupied Palestinian territory, cease settlement activities and provide reparations);
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC) strongly urge the Canadian government to implement the following:
a) That Canada forcefully and unequivocally condemn the genocidal actions of the Israeli government,
b) That Canada comply fully with the ICJ ‘s 2024 Opinion calling on States to use all their political leverage to pressure the Israeli government to end its genocidal actions in Palestine,
c) That Canada suspend and terminate the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA) and immediately sever all diplomatic, military and economic ties with the Israeli government,
d) That Canada impose targeted sanctions on Israeli political, military and corporate actors responsible for the genocide and other violations, including arms manufactures, drone and surveillance technology companies,
e) That Canada recognize the State of Palestine without any conditions; Canada cannot dictate the terms of Palestinian sovereignty.
Resolution – re Dr. Hassan Diab
Whereas, Dr. Hassan Diab, is an innocent Canadian citizen who is subject to concerted and malicious campaigns against him, and continues to live in fear of another wrongful extradition;
Whereas, Dr. Hassan Diab was wrongfully extradited from Canada to France in 2014 in connection with a 1980 attack on a synagogue in Paris based solely on a fundamentally flawed handwriting “analysis”;
Whereas, following his extradition, Dr. Diab was imprisoned in a French maximum-security prison, without formal charge or trial, for over three years;
Whereas, two of France’s most experienced and respected investigative judges, Jean-Marc Herbaut and Richard Folzer, after a thorough and meticulous examination of all relevant facts and evidence, clearly excluded Dr. Diab as a suspect and ordered his immediate unconditional release from prison in 2018;
Whereas, after an appeal by the French State prosecutor, Dr. Diab was tried in absentia, declared guilty, and sentenced to life in prison, in a bogus trial at the Paris Special Court of Assizes in April 2023, that relied on secret, unsourced intelligence (inadmissible in Canada) while ignoring crucial exculpatory forensic and alibi evidence and the testimony of the investigative judges, Jean-Marc Herbaut and Richard Folzer;
Whereas, Dr. Diab may be facing a second wrongful extradition request from France, a possibility that the Canadian government refuses to confirm or deny, which leaves Dr. Diab in a state of indefinite limbo;
Whereas, the Canadian government has the power to bring to an end this miscarriage of justice and the harm and suffering that Dr. Diab and his family experience on a daily basis;
Whereas, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, upon Dr. Diab’s return to Canada, that “we have to recognize first of all that what happened to [Hassan Diab] never should have happened.., and promised to “make sure that it never happens again”;
Be It Resolved Thatthe Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC) strongly urge Prime Minister Carney and Minister of Justice Sean Fraser take decisive action and give clear and unequivocal assurances without further delay that the Government of Canada will:
a) protect Dr. Hassan Diab and his family and end the uncertainly and suffering they experience on a daily basis, and
b) formally declare that Canada would reject any new extradition request from the French Government for Dr. Hassan Diab in connection with the 1980 Paris attack.
Resolution on War in Ukraine
Whereas the war in Ukraine is in its third year
Whereas there are preliminary discussions between parties for a peaceful resolution
Be it moved that
The AUUC urges the Canadian government
1. to strongly endorse any incentive towards a peaceful settlement
2. to use diplomacy with Russia to accelerate the peace process
3. To provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine rather than the supply of weapons
The AUUC continue to assist Ukraine with humanitarian aid
Resolution on Food Insecurity
Whereasfood insecurity in Canada has grown exponentially
Whereasthe cost of feeding a family continues to rise
Whereascorporations continue to increase their profit margins and continue to provide their management with sizeable annual bonuses
The Canadian government must require corporations to decrease prices on all essential products, food or otherwise
Resolution on Canada’s Defence Program
(in connection with cooperation with USA and Golden Dome)
Whereasthe Canadian election was won on a promise of a more independent foreign policy and a move away from reliance on USA both economically and militarily
Whereasthe Golden Dome project is extremely expensive and ineffective with great strategic and environmental risks as stated by Lloyd Axworthy “The proper response to another Trump-era folly is not quiet consideration nor cautious diplomacy. It’s a firm, unequivocal no – Just as it was in 1985” (The Globe and Mail, May 23, 2025)
Whereasprevious Canadian governments declined to join the U.S. in defence projects. It is mandatory that this government follow suit
The AUUC urges the Canadian Government to
1. Keep the election promise
2. As Marc Carney has frequently stated that Canada’s relations with the USA are irrevocably broken, we must use our resources instead on better ways to strengthen our national and continental defences, investing in Artic surveillance, and lead in international efforts to resist the weaponization of space (avoid Cold War mentality)
3. To not increase the NATO target above 2% as NATO is increasingly aggressive
4. To promote trade relations and exchanges between East and West to advance a more peaceful future.
Resolution on Educational Programmes for AUUC Members
Whereas: The AUUC identifies itself as both a cultural and educational organization, And
Whereas: Throughout its history, the AUUC has offered various educational programmes for its members to better understand the organization’s history and world view, And
Whereas: Educational seminars and meetings have not happened consistently in the recent past due to a combination of financial and personnel considerations, including the suspension of publication of our Ukrainian Canadian Herald, And
Whereas: Many of our new and/or younger members have not been raised within our AUUC family and often do not have an understanding of the organization’s legacy within the Ukrainian Canadian community,
Therefore Be it Resolved That:
1. The AUUC commits itself to developing processes and programmes to help educate our membership on our history, aspirations, and legacy in the Ukrainian Canadian community.
2. The AUUC reissue past resolutions and position statements to our membership that help clarify who we are as an organization, including our aims and objectives, our support for other organizations and social justice initiatives in Canada and around the world, and our support for the people of Ukraine. Background Information:
● Many of our members, particularly those new to the AUUC, may not have much information regarding the rich, more than 100 year history of the work and accomplishments of the organization
● In the somewhat distant past, educational meetings, workshops, summer camps, youth groups, etc. were provided to help young and new members learn more about the AUUC, its history, its cultural and social justice work, etc.
● As a means to encourage membership and help our members understand the AUUC better, it is important to provide education about our organization. This can be done in many ways, including through re-publishing of past resolutions from our Conventions, re-publishing of articles from our past publications such as the Ukrainian Canadian Magazine and the Ukrainian Canadian Herald.
● We would suggest that the National Executive establish a committee whose mandate would be to provide educational materials about the history of the AUUC to branches to use to help inform their membership about the organization’s cultural and social justice work and historical reasons for the AUUC to exist separately from other Ukrainian organizations in Canada.
Resolution on Proportional Representation for Annual Convention
Whereas: The AUUC is a democratic organization that values the opinions and input of its members, and encourages membership participation in decision making that guides the direction of the AUUC, And
Whereas: We encourage our membership to participate and engage in our activities at both the local and National level, And
Whereas: Our membership in each AUUC Branch varies greatly, from relatively small to relatively large numbers, And
Whereas: Proportional representation is important in offering members the opportunity to have their voices heard at our triennial National Convention,
Therefore, be it resolved: That the AUUC modify the AUUC Constitution - Article 16.5(c) from 1 delegate for every 25 members or greater portion thereof, to 1 delegate for every 20 members or greater portion thereof.
Background Information:
● Currently, branches are able to elect 1 delegate per every 25 branch members or greater proportion thereof. Vancouver is entitled to 3 delegates for this convention.
● In order to increase participation by branch members, and give more of a representative voice to larger branches, we are proposing that the constitution be modified to allow for 1 delegate per every 20 branch members of greater proportion thereof.
● We have currently added youth observers to our convention, who have voice but no vote. By increasing the number of actual delegates, more of our membership would be able to vote on important matters at convention.
● Below is a table that shows the current membership of each branch, current representation and the changes being proposed.
| Branch | Membership | Delegates per 25 | Delegates per 20 | Increase in # of delegates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancouver | 81 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Edmonton | 101 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| Calgary | 46 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Regina | 76 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Winnipeg | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Ottawa | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Toronto | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Welland | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Resolution on Article 16 THE CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS
Section 16.5
Branch representation at National Conventions
Under section b. Consideration be made to changing total delegate member numbers from branches to better reflect current memberships levels.
a. that a Branch shall have the right to elect only one delegate for the first 20 members or fewer,
b. and one additional delegate for each 20 members or major fraction thereof.
Reducing the current 25 member requirement to 20 members
In reply to: PCDB #2 Reinvigorating Kobzar Publishing Submitted by Alex S. Boykowich, Edmonton
Interesting paper!
I think we should pursue this project!
My parents and I and my late husband Alan, were very much a part of this legacy.
As musicians and conductors of the Edmonton Trembita orchestra and part of the committee who organized festivals in Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, it is so important to keep this alive. We must remember that our parents and grandparents worked very hard to promote the labor movement, and it should be passed on to our younger generation.
The problem is, that without backup (i.e. Ukr. Canadian Herald) which was a 'one man operation', once that person is gone, so is the legacy.
Enough said. I live in Victoria presently, am still actively teaching and performing, so I cannot make the convention. However I would like to add my voice to keeping this alive.
Mary H. Clarke
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