He gave Yanukovych this message in Kyiv. Although he did not specify exactly what was said during their private conversation, members of the delegation which accompanied Harper have told Ukrainian News that both leaders were tense following the discussions, which means they must have been serious. Harper also set out to pay his respects to the victims of the Holodomor at the monument in their honour. Yanukovych very rudely refused to accompany him for that ceremony – a most bizarre and offensive gesture by a constitutionally-elected leader of Ukraine.
In Lviv, Harper made two very significant gestures by visiting both the Ukrainian Catholic University, whose rector, Father Borys Gudziak has been subjected to political harassment by the reborn KGB and the Lonsky museum, whose director Ruslan Zabilyi has been subjected to the same treatment.
At the UCU Harper deliver a powerful speech where he once again stressed Canada’s support for democracy in Ukraine.
“Remember that in Canada, you have friends. Friends who respect and admire Ukraine’s heart for freedom, its spirit of national self-determination, and the courage of its people, a courage that has never deserted you, even in the darkest nights of your long history.
“As Shevchenko wrote, and I quote: ‘Strive and you will triumph for God is on your side. The rewards are glory, truth, and that most sacred of things, freedom’,” he said.
Strong words, but they remain words unless followed up with concrete action. And what action can Canada take to reverse Ukraine’s drift towards authoritarianism? The answer is to use the current free trade negotiations as leverage in urging Ukraine to maintain its nascent democracy and not revert to its totalitarian past.
Ukraine’s leaders need the free trade agreement and the oligarchs who support Yanukovych need the free trade agreement. They must be told that if they want such an agreement, the reversal of democratic values will not be tolerated.
The European Union has also told Ukraine it has to ensure that democracy is not threatened if it wants free trade.
Delegates to the XXXIII Triennial Congress of Ukrainian Canadians, held in Edmonton Nov. 5-7, passed a resolution to encourage both the governments of Canada and Ukraine to adhere strictly to the so-called “Road Map” of September 2009 governing bilateral relations between them, for Ukraine to adhere to its obligations as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and that “Canada insist on such adherence as a condition of entering into the free trade agreement between Canada and Ukraine.” The “Road Map” clearly states:
“The friendship between the two countries stems from mutual understanding and the shared belief that democracy is the chief guarantor of security, prosperity and freedom, and that democracy must rest upon the rule of law and be supported by good governance.”
The impetus for such a resolution came from a former Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine, Derek Fraser. It is supported by all elements of the organized Ukrainian Canadian community, including the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce, which represents businesses who would most benefit from a free trade agreement.
Harper’s government should back up the strong verbal message it gave Yanukovych with concrete action. Such action means using the free trade negotiations as leverage. What the resolution of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress shows is that the government will have the full support of the Ukrainian Canadian community in doing so.
Marco Levytsky is the editor and publisher of Ukrainian News, an independent bi-weekly newspaper based in Edmonton and distributed across Canada.
