October 30, 2014—Ottawa—The Honourable Tim Uppal, Minister of State for Multiculturalism, today concluded a trip to Ukraine and Poland, where he highlighted the importance of freedom and choice in a democratic society while also reiterating the Government of Canada’s commitment to a coordinated global effort against hatred and anti-Semitism.
While in Ukraine, Minister Uppal met with the head of Canada’s bilateral election observation mission, Senator Raynell Andreychuk, and thanked her and her team of experienced elections observers for their bravery, dedication and passion for the cause of Ukrainian democracy.
He also visited the regional United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office, and met with Reverend Mykhailo Melnyk of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association to discuss efforts to advance and promote religious freedom in both Canada and the Ukraine.
While in Kyiv, Minister Uppal visited the memorial to the Maidan’s Heavenly Hundred and placed flowers in their honour. He also paid his respects at the monument to the victims of the Holodomor genocide.
His trip continued in Poland, where he joined the Polish Ambassador to Canada at the grand opening of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which presents the thousand-year history of Polish Jews. He also visited Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Warsaw, and Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow in Krakow, to discuss the importance of religious freedom, in Canada and abroad. Minister Uppal’s trip concluded with a tour of the Memorial and Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Joe Kanoza
Minister’s Office—Minister Uppal
613-954-1064
joe.kanoza@cic.gc.ca
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
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