Yuri Shymko
Encyclopedia
Yuri Shymko is a former politician, human rights advocate, social activist, and community leader in Ontario
, Canada
. He served in the Canadian House of Commons
from 1978 to 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1981 to 1987. Shymko was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party
.
community that was at the time administered by Germany
. He is the grandnephew of the renowned Ukrainian poet and social activist, Ivan Franko
, relating to daughter of Franko, Hanna Klyuchko, who has moved to Canada. Shymko's family moved to Belgium, where he received his early education in a private school operated by the Catholic Redemptorist Fathers. He moved to Canada as a teenager and was educated at the University of Toronto
graduating with an Honour BA in Modern History and Modern Languages. He headed the Modern Languages Department at Victoria Park S.S. before entering political life. He is the author of "For This Was I Born", a book that addressed the violation of human rights in the former Soviet Union
.
Appointed by the then Premier of Ontario, Bill Davis
, Shymko established and became Chairman of the Ontario Advisory Council on Multiculturalism and Citizenship, coordinating policy in consultation with over 35 ethno-cultural groups in Ontario.
As Secretary-General of the Ukrainian World Congress
from 1973 to 1978 and President of the Ukrainian World Congress (1988 to 1993), he played an instrumental role in persuading Canada to become the first Western nation to recognize Ukraine's independence in 1991.
, as a candidate for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party
, in the High Park
electoral district. He ran against, and lost to, the incumbent New Democrat Party Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP), Morton Shulman
, Toronto's former chief coroner. He ran again in the same electoral district during the 1975 election
. Shulman retired as the area's MPP, and this time Shymko narrowly lost to the New Democratic Party candidate, Ed Ziemba
.
Shymko was elected to the House of Commons in a by-election
held on October 16, 1978, defeating future cabinet minister Art Eggleton
by 1,038 votes in Parkdale
. He was a member of the official opposition, serving as the Human Rights critic until the next federal election. For the 1979 federal election
, his riding was redistributed into the newly formed Parkdale—High Park
electoral district. On May 22, 1979, following a highly contested race, and an electoral re-count, he lost to Liberal
Jesse Flis
by 74 votes.
With the backing of the Canadian Government, he personally launched a historic initiative before the United Nations for the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union. On November 21, 1978, he presented to the President of the UN General Assembly and its member missions a Memorandum on the Decolonization of the USSR which he coordinated on behalf of the Baltic, Bielorussian, and Ukrainian World Congresses.
Shymko was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election
, defeating Ed Ziemba by 2,680 votes. For the next four years, he served in the legislature as a backbench supporter of the Bill Davis
and Frank Miller
administrations. In February 1985, he supported Larry Grossman
's bid to succeed Davis as party leader. He was narrowly re-elected in the 1985 election
, defeating Elaine Ziemba
by 330 votes.
Shymko was a member of the official Ontario Government Delegation to the First Ministers' Conference on the Constitution (1980) and First Ministers' Conference on Aboriginal Rights (1987). Shymko Chaired the Ontario Government's Legislative Hearings on Battered Women and Child Abuse (1981–1983)and subsequently authored a major, ground-breaking Report on Battered Women.http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoParl/english/issue.htm?param=104&art=524 He was also the author of numerous Private Member's Bills. Shymko also championed the rights of the physically challenged. Following a concerted effort launched by Canadian academics, Lubomyr Y. Luciuk and Bohdan S. Kordan, aimed at having Stalin Township renamed, Mr. Shymko successfully initiated a Private Member's Bill that resulted in it being renamed Hansen Township
in honour of paraplegic athlete Rick Hansen
.
Shymko chaired several Legislative Committees and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Community Services.
In 1985, Shymko headed the official Ontario Trade Delegation to Europe (Basel, Switzerland- 1985).
The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a minority government
in the 1985 election, and were defeated in the legislature in June 1985. After initially supporting Grossman, he endorsed Alan Pope
for the party leadership in late 1985 (Toronto Star, 6 November 1985).
During his career as a Member of the Ontario Legislature, Shymko served as President of the International Association of French Speaking Parliamentarians (Ontario).
He lost to Liberal
David Fleet
by 814 votes in the 1987 election
.
In 1995, he founded a private consulting company, Shymko International Consulting, in Toronto.
Shymko has remained an outspoken human rights activist, representing a number of NGO's before the UN General Assembly, the Council of Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency
, and the UN Human Rights Commission. He has been the keynote speaker at a number of international forums on human rights and nationalities policies.
Shymko is the recipient of a number of Canadian and international awards, including the Outstanding Service Award from the Reena Foundation (1985), which serves the needs of the Jewish community's handicapped children. In 1997, Shymko's support for the francophonie was recognized when he was officially inducted as an Officer of the Order of La Pléiade
by the International Assembly of French Speaking Parliamentarians (1997). Shymko was inducted into the Ordre de la Pléiade together with Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau
and Ontario Court of Appeal Justice, Roy McMurtry
.
In 2007, Shymko was appointed for a three year term by the Stephen Harper government to the Employment Insurance Board of Referees. His appointment was extended until
June 26, 2013.
In 2006, Shymko was given one of Ukraine's highest awards, the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, by the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko
. Shymko thereby joined a list of eminent international recipients of the award including Javier Solana
, Lech Wałęsa
, and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
.
Yuri Shymko is married to the former Stephanie Kowal. They have two daughters, Lisa Shymko (MA Political Science, University of Toronto) and Natalie Shymko (MA Fine Art History, University of Toronto).
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
from 1978 to 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 1981 to 1987. Shymko was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
.
Background
Shymko was born in Cosel, a PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
community that was at the time administered by Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He is the grandnephew of the renowned Ukrainian poet and social activist, Ivan Franko
Ivan Franko
Ivan Yakovych Franko was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, interpreter, economist, political activist, doctor of philosophy, the author of the first detective novels and modern poetry in the Ukrainian language....
, relating to daughter of Franko, Hanna Klyuchko, who has moved to Canada. Shymko's family moved to Belgium, where he received his early education in a private school operated by the Catholic Redemptorist Fathers. He moved to Canada as a teenager and was educated at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
graduating with an Honour BA in Modern History and Modern Languages. He headed the Modern Languages Department at Victoria Park S.S. before entering political life. He is the author of "For This Was I Born", a book that addressed the violation of human rights in the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Appointed by the then Premier of Ontario, Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
, Shymko established and became Chairman of the Ontario Advisory Council on Multiculturalism and Citizenship, coordinating policy in consultation with over 35 ethno-cultural groups in Ontario.
As Secretary-General of the Ukrainian World Congress
Ukrainian World Congress
The Ukrainian World Congress was organized in 1967 and was initially known as the World Congress of Free Ukrainians. It is an umbrella organization that coordinates and represents all Ukrainian organizations in the diaspora...
from 1973 to 1978 and President of the Ukrainian World Congress (1988 to 1993), he played an instrumental role in persuading Canada to become the first Western nation to recognize Ukraine's independence in 1991.
Politics
Shymko first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial electionOntario general election, 1971
The Ontario general election of 1971 was held on October 21, 1971, to elect the 117 members of the 29th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, as a candidate for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
, in the High Park
High Park (electoral district)
High Park was a federal electoral district in the west end of the city of Toronto, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
electoral district. He ran against, and lost to, the incumbent New Democrat Party Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP), Morton Shulman
Morton Shulman
Morton Shulman, OC was a Canadian politician, businessman, broadcaster, columnist, coroner, and physician.-Biography:...
, Toronto's former chief coroner. He ran again in the same electoral district during the 1975 election
Ontario general election, 1975
The Ontario general election of 1975 was held on September 18, 1975, to elect the 125 members of the 30th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
. Shulman retired as the area's MPP, and this time Shymko narrowly lost to the New Democratic Party candidate, Ed Ziemba
Ed Ziemba
Ed Ziemba was an New Democratic Party MPP in the Ontario legislature representing the provincial electoral district of High Park—Swansea.He was first elected in the 1975 provincial election succeeding retired NDP MPP Morton Shulman and was re-elected in 1977 by fewer than 800 votes before being...
.
Shymko was elected to the House of Commons in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on October 16, 1978, defeating future cabinet minister Art Eggleton
Art Eggleton
Arthur "Art" C. Eggleton, PC is a former Canadian Cabinet minister and Mayor of Toronto, and is currently a Senator representing Ontario.-City council:...
by 1,038 votes in Parkdale
Parkdale (electoral district)
Parkdale was a Canadian federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979. It included the community of Parkdale in the western part of Toronto...
. He was a member of the official opposition, serving as the Human Rights critic until the next federal election. For the 1979 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
, his riding was redistributed into the newly formed Parkdale—High Park
Parkdale—High Park
Parkdale—High Park is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979.Peggy Nash of the New Democratic Party was elected the Member of Parliament for the riding on May 2, 2011....
electoral district. On May 22, 1979, following a highly contested race, and an electoral re-count, he lost to Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Jesse Flis
Jesse Flis
Jesse Philip Flis is a former Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1984, and from 1988 to 1997, as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.Flis was born in Fosston, Saskatchewan...
by 74 votes.
With the backing of the Canadian Government, he personally launched a historic initiative before the United Nations for the peaceful dissolution of the Soviet Union. On November 21, 1978, he presented to the President of the UN General Assembly and its member missions a Memorandum on the Decolonization of the USSR which he coordinated on behalf of the Baltic, Bielorussian, and Ukrainian World Congresses.
Shymko was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, defeating Ed Ziemba by 2,680 votes. For the next four years, he served in the legislature as a backbench supporter of the Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
and Frank Miller
Frank Miller (politician)
Frank Stuart Miller, was a Canadian politician, who served as the 19th Premier of Ontario for four months in 1985.-Early life and political career:...
administrations. In February 1985, he supported Larry Grossman
Larry Grossman
Lawrence "Larry" Sheldon Grossman was a politician in Ontario, Canada.-Early years:Born in Toronto, Grossman was the son of Allan Grossman, who had represented a downtown Toronto riding in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for twenty years after defeating Ontario's last Communist Member of...
's bid to succeed Davis as party leader. He was narrowly re-elected in the 1985 election
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
, defeating Elaine Ziemba
Elaine Ziemba
Elaine Ziemba is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.-Background:...
by 330 votes.
Shymko was a member of the official Ontario Government Delegation to the First Ministers' Conference on the Constitution (1980) and First Ministers' Conference on Aboriginal Rights (1987). Shymko Chaired the Ontario Government's Legislative Hearings on Battered Women and Child Abuse (1981–1983)and subsequently authored a major, ground-breaking Report on Battered Women.http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoParl/english/issue.htm?param=104&art=524 He was also the author of numerous Private Member's Bills. Shymko also championed the rights of the physically challenged. Following a concerted effort launched by Canadian academics, Lubomyr Y. Luciuk and Bohdan S. Kordan, aimed at having Stalin Township renamed, Mr. Shymko successfully initiated a Private Member's Bill that resulted in it being renamed Hansen Township
Killarney, Ontario
Killarney is a municipality located on the northern shore of Georgian Bay in the Sudbury District of Ontario. It is also the name of the largest community within the municipality...
in honour of paraplegic athlete Rick Hansen
Rick Hansen
Richard M. Hansen, CC, OBC is a Canadian Paralympian and an activist for people with spinal cord injuries. Following a car crash at the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the waist down. Hansen is most famous for his Man In Motion World Tour...
.
Shymko chaired several Legislative Committees and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Community Services.
In 1985, Shymko headed the official Ontario Trade Delegation to Europe (Basel, Switzerland- 1985).
The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
in the 1985 election, and were defeated in the legislature in June 1985. After initially supporting Grossman, he endorsed Alan Pope
Alan Pope
Alan William Pope is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1990, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.-Early years:Pope was raised in Northern Ontario, and...
for the party leadership in late 1985 (Toronto Star, 6 November 1985).
During his career as a Member of the Ontario Legislature, Shymko served as President of the International Association of French Speaking Parliamentarians (Ontario).
He lost to Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
David Fleet
David Fleet
David Gordon Fleet is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1990.Fleet was educated at the University of Western Ontario, Osgoode Hall Law School and York University...
by 814 votes in the 1987 election
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...
.
After politics
In 1988, Shymko was appointed by the Government of Canada to serve on the Federal Immigration and Refugee Board (1988–1993).In 1995, he founded a private consulting company, Shymko International Consulting, in Toronto.
Shymko has remained an outspoken human rights activist, representing a number of NGO's before the UN General Assembly, the Council of Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
, and the UN Human Rights Commission. He has been the keynote speaker at a number of international forums on human rights and nationalities policies.
Shymko is the recipient of a number of Canadian and international awards, including the Outstanding Service Award from the Reena Foundation (1985), which serves the needs of the Jewish community's handicapped children. In 1997, Shymko's support for the francophonie was recognized when he was officially inducted as an Officer of the Order of La Pléiade
Order of La Pléiade
The Order of La Pléiade , sometimes also referred by the anglicised name Order of the Pleiades, is an award of the Francophonie, and is intended to recognize those who have particularly distinguished themselves by serving the ideals of cooperation and friendship of the Francophonie.The award was...
by the International Assembly of French Speaking Parliamentarians (1997). Shymko was inducted into the Ordre de la Pléiade together with Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau
Marc Garneau
Joseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau, CC CD FCASI MP is a Canadian retired military officer, former astronaut, engineer and politician.Garneau was the first Canadian in space taking part in three flights aboard NASA Space shuttles...
and Ontario Court of Appeal Justice, Roy McMurtry
Roy McMurtry
Roland "Roy" McMurtry, OC, OOnt is a judge and former politician in Ontario, Canada and the current Chancellor of York University.-Early life:McMurtry was born in Toronto and educated at St. Andrew's College, graduating in 1950...
.
In 2007, Shymko was appointed for a three year term by the Stephen Harper government to the Employment Insurance Board of Referees. His appointment was extended until
June 26, 2013.
In 2006, Shymko was given one of Ukraine's highest awards, the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, by the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
. Shymko thereby joined a list of eminent international recipients of the award including Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
, Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
, and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
.
Yuri Shymko is married to the former Stephanie Kowal. They have two daughters, Lisa Shymko (MA Political Science, University of Toronto) and Natalie Shymko (MA Fine Art History, University of Toronto).