Canadian expatriates celebrate Canada Day in Kyiv (07/21/96)

Canadian expatriates celebrate Canada Day in Kyiv

by Marta Dyczok

KYIV - Wherever they are, on July 1 Canadians observe Canada Day. This year Canadians in Ukraine celebrated their country's 129th birthday all weekend, their celebratory spirit increased by events in Ukraine. A party atmosphere filled Kyiv early Friday morning, June 28, when Parliament adopted a Constitution, and continued through Sunday evening, June 30, when pop singer Iryna Bilyk closed the Ukrainian Youth Day concert in the park.

Canada Day celebrations were led by the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv. To mark the occasion the first Canadian sugar maple was brought to Ukraine. The sapling was ceremonially planted in Kyiv's Taras Shevchenko Park by Canadian Ambassador Christopher Westdal and Ukrainian Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Yuriy Kostenko.

"In its own small way, this tree, which has come directly from Canada, will offer Kyivans respite and cleaner air, as well as the living beauty of our national symbol, the maple leaf," said the ambassador. "If our relations are anything to go by, I'm sure this maple will take root firmly in Ukraine's rich soil."

The ambassador hosted a formal Canada Day reception, which was attended by prominent Canadians and Ukrainians, including Rukh leader Vyacheslav Chornovil and the head of the Constitutional Committee, Volodymyr Stretovych.

Ambassador Westdal shared the enthusiasm of the Ukrainian politicians upon adoption of the Constitution and in an interview said he was delighted that an honorable compromise had been reached by political forces in Ukraine. He added that the Constitution is an important step for Ukraine towards political accountability and would be key in attracting foreign investors to Ukraine.

Trade and investment are important aspects of Canada's relationship with Ukraine. According to an official press release, over the past six months two-way trade between these states has grown by approximately 50 percent from 1995. However, despite the steady and encouraging progress, Ambassador Westdal noted "there is still so much that can be done here in the business spheres, particularly in the energy sector."

In the public sector, Canada has been working on developing relations with Ukraine in numerous spheres. Its $20 million (Canadian) technical cooperation program targets Ukrainian health care, ecological issues, agriculture, business and community development.

Canadians living in Ukraine work on projects ranging from cleaning up the Dnipro River to lecturing at universities, providing assistance to children who have suffered from Chornobyl's fallout and rehabilitating missile sites.

On their national holiday they all met in the garden of the Canadian Embassy to relax. They watched Denis Goresky, the trade attaché, and Ivan Lasko, the Embassy's gardener, plant the second sugar maple in Ukraine, and jokingly named it the Denis Ivan tree.

Then, in typically Canadian informal fashion, the Embassy staff hosted a barbecue in the garden, serving food and drinks to their compatriots. (However, having been in Ukraine for a while, they forgot to cater to vegetarians.)

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