The Politics of Multiculturalism: A Ukrainian-Canadian Memoir (review)

Reviewed by: The Politics of Multiculturalism: A Ukrainian-Canadian Memoir Michael Temelini The Politics of Multiculturalism: A Ukrainian-Canadian Memoir. Manoly R. Lupul. Toronto: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, 2005. Pp. 526. $34.95 On 9 October 1971, one day after announcing in the House of Commons his government's policy of 'multiculturalism within a bilingual framework,' Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau addressed a capacity crowd at the Tenth Congress of the Ukrainian Canadian Committee at the Hotel Fort Garry in Winnipeg. Multiculturalism is perhaps the most recognized and celebrated characteristic of Canadian citizenship, and the 1971 policy is certainly one of Trudeau's most enduring legacies, but there is surprisingly little research explaining the origins of the multiculturalism policy and the pivotal role of Ukrainian Canadians in its development. In this memoir, Manoly Lupul provides important lessons about the policy's origins, and why Trudeau would choose a largely Ukrainian audience for its launch. He reminds us that multiculturalism began as a political movement [End Page 514] to recognize not immigrants but established ethnic minorities and to integrate their languages, histories, and cultures in a variety of public institutions. The history of multiculturalism is essentially connected to the history of Ukrainian Canadians. Lester Pearson appointed J.B. Rudnyckyj commissioner when the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism was created in July 1963, and Senator Paul Yuzyk was one of the first to publicly articulate the principle of multiculturalism in his maiden speech of 3 March 1964. Lupul's credentials are equally impressive – his February 2004 induction into the Order of Canada testifies that he has earned a place amongst the champions of this cause. He helped introduce Alberta's first school legislation for bilingual programs, participated in several constitutional consultations such as the Pepin-Robarts Task Force on National Unity, and was involved in the development of Section 27 of the Constitution Act, 1982. He spearheaded the resistance to the Alberta government's 1996 attempt to repeal its multiculturalism legislation. He also served as a founding director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta, the first publicly funded institution of its kind outside Ukraine, and as an executive member of the influential Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism. His detailed accounts of these and other organizations and events make this book a useful supplementary source. The most important aspects of Lupul's story deal with the prehistory of the 1971 multiculturalism policy. There are very few detailed accounts of the period in the 1960s when the concept of multi-culturalism was first articulated and when public mobilization first arose in its defence. Lupul argues that the policy was adopted thanks in large part to the dedicated political activism of principled, well-organized, largely second- and third-generation Canadians, particularly those of Ukrainian ancestry based in Western Canada. The strength of Lupul's account lies in the fact that he introduces us to the background organizing and strategies of the main players. He also explains their motivations. Lupul's generation was raised at a time when 'the Ukraine' was a satellite province of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. With contempt for Moscow's unitarian policy of 'Russification,' its vast empire of Russian uniformity, and with a genuine fear that their language and culture would disappear in their historic homeland, immigrant Ukrainians and their Canadian descendants dutifully protected and preserved their native language, customs, and traditions. [End Page 515] In this respect, Ukrainian Canadians shared the French-Canadian demand for 'la survivance' and the French-Canadian (and Québécois) fear of 'disparaître.' But Ukrainians did not agree that the Québécois were a founding people deserving special status. For Lupul, this implied that the Québécois were not a nation or a national minority but an ethnic group, and only one among many. This explains why Lupul and other Ukrainian Canadians were among the most vocal opponents to Quebec's national aspirations during the Quiet Revolution. It also explains Lupul's promotion of multiculturalism and his opposition to the terms of reference and recommendation of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. Multiculturalism was adopted as official policy because of the successful...

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