New Conservative Party of Canada supports redress for Ukrainians, Chinese (04/18/04)

New Conservative Party of Canada supports redress for Ukrainians, Chinese

TORONTO - The newly formed Conservative Party of Canada has staked out an inclusive and progressive position on righting historical injustices.

Following recent consultations between the party's Leader, Stephen Harper, and his colleagues, Peter MacKay and Inky Mark, the party issued the following statement: "Heritage Redress: The Conservative Party of Canada will recognize and resolve the outstanding redress issues of the Ukrainian Canadian community and the Chinese Canadian community."

Speaking for the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk, its director of research, said: "This is a remarkable development, confirming as it does that this is a new party with a commitment to social justice. Mr. Harper has demonstrated his personal support for righting historical injustices, listening to Mr. Mark and Mr. MacKay, both of whom have championed an honorable and timely resolution of the Ukrainian and Chinese Canadian communities' legitimate requests for recognition and reconciliation."

He added: "While we will, of course, want to further explore how the Conservative Party of Canada would want to see these matters resolved, Mr. Mark's private member's bill, Bill C 331, the Ukrainian Canadian Restitution Act, would be a good model for a settlement. UCCLA is, of course, non-partisan, but our view is that it is now up to the Liberal Party of Canada and the government to move forward from where we left off in November 2003, when the negotiations with Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps were undermined by individuals in the bureaucracy, despite many months of hard work by all concerned, especially the former minister."

In the coming federal election, Dr. Luciuk underscored, "the redress issue will be of particular importance to members of the Ukrainian Canadian community and might well make a difference in several ridings, both in Ontario and in western Canada. The same is true among Chinese Canadians, who have their own redress issue yet to be honorably resolved."

Dr. Luciuk said the UCCLA will soon be speaking with Chinese Canadians to determine how the two groups might work together to see justice done.

"The politicians who truly work for our communities will themselves be recognized, where it counts the most, at the ballot box. That is the only way to finally bring closure to these outstanding issues," he said.

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