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DOES UKRAINE NEED CANADIAN HELP?

10 March, 00:00

Ms. Diane Marlot, Minister for International Cooperation and the French-Speaking Commonwealth of Canada, must have left Kyiv not quite satisfied with the results of her mission, because she made this somewhat enigmatic but by no means optimistic remark after talks with government officials: "Help cannot be rendered if everything is being done to make rendering this help impossible." Meanwhile it is an historical fact that Canada has had special relations with Ukraine, just as it is true that Ottawa has been helping Ukraine more than any other East European country.

"Canada is sending observers to monitor the elections and help Ukraine carry them out in a truly democratic manner," Ms. Marlot declared. The Canadian International Development Agency is expected to spend $90,000 monitoring the Ukrainian elections. Another $60,000 will come from a Canadian foundation sustaining six elections information support projects. In other words, the Canadians will print 20,000 copies of Ukraine's new elections law, along with 250,000 posters with explanations of the law. Ottawa will help in other ways, too: in raising Ukrainian youth's political consciousness and encouraging women to participate in public life. Note that the Canadian side has carefully refrained from showing favors toward any political party in Ukraine. "As a representative of a democratic country, I have never associated my activities with any foreign political groups," noted Ms. Marlot. Canadians, however, do hope that active reforms will begin in Ukraine after March 29.

Newspaper output №:

№5, (1998)

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