From: Eugene Harasymiw [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: August 29, 1999 7:34 PM
To: Adrian Boyko
Subject: Re: UCC Position paper

Adrian:

I am grateful to you for this report, and for the interest that the National KYK executive appears to display towards these issues. As for d & d, as you know, the President did not appear to be too enthralled with d & d last fall, when he was being installed as head man at KYK. So, there seems to have been a turnaround.

I can tell you without hestitation, since I feel very close to the rank-and-file of Ukrainians in Canada, that no other issue has been as damaging to us as citizens of this country than the whole "war crimes" mess. For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must put an end to it.

Allan Rock was the Minister who eagerly gave in to certain lobbies (unmentioned), who care nothing about civil liberties or damaged reputations. Rock can't even look any one of us in the eye today, because as a lawyer he knows the evils of the d & d process.

As for McLellan, she too has strong long-range plans to be Prime Minister one day soon. That's why she's pandering to the you-know-who lobby by vigorously pushing the d & d process along. I knew a year ago from Liberal insiders that she was feeling the heat. I also know she's in big time trouble in Edmonton West, her home constituency. I know of 3 other "groups" who are determined to defeat her, and they are NOT political parties. She probably got wind of this groundswell of opposition, and now she's trying to mend fences.

But, Adrian, don't trust her for a minute. I and two others met with her Nov. 13, 1997 and warned her very specifically about the dangers of d & d. She had no intention of listening to us then, because she wasn't in trouble in her riding. Well, she is today.

So, what's likely on her mind is to "deal". That's where I urge you to be very cautious with her. I cannot make this same plea to President Czolij, because he won't listen to me. But as an ex-Saskatchewanite, maybe you can see fit to listen to reason and caution. To be frank about it, I do not believe the Ukrainian community should be dealing with her. The "lobby" doesn't deal, it just tells her what they want. No tit-for-tat with them, and there shouldn't be for us.

I wish you well in your efforts on behalf of the entire Ukrainian community. As for myself, I will fight d & d and Ms. McLellan with all my energy until our community wins this god-awful struggle.

Yevhen