Managing Immigration:
The Recent Canadian/Ukrainian/Saskatchewan Experience
A Faculty/ Graduate Student Roundtable
Chernivtsi National University
Chernivtsi, Ukraine
May 11-12, 2010
“Managing Immigration: The Recent Canadian, Ukrainian, Saskatchewan Experience,” a joint faculty/graduate student roundtable, was held May 11-12, 2010 at the Ramon Hnatyshyn Canadian Studies Centre, Chernivtsi National University, Ukraine.
Organized within the academic partnership agreement that currently exists between the University of Saskatchewan and Chernivtsi National University, invited academics and graduate students at both institutions sought to explore and assess within a roundtable format how immigration is managed within the context of the recent Ukrainian/Canadian/Saskatchewan experience. The themes explored included: the multiculturalism/immigration policy nexus in Saskatchewan; the problem of cultural retention versus the cultural integration of recent immigrants; the social justice aspects of Canadian immigrant recruitment; the issue of federal/provincial jurisdiction; assessing new immigration opportunities including the international student and the youth mobility programs; the nature of Ukrainian emigration to Canada and Saskatchewan; the impact of emigration on Ukrainian society; and the importance and utility of contemporary research methods.
The roundtable, attended by some fifty participants, provided an opportunity for academic research and discussion, helping to stimulate interest in an area of mutual concern between Saskatchewan/Ukraine and the UofS/CNU. It has laid a foundation for future collaborative work in this important policy area, having generated important interpersonal relationships between Canadian and Ukrainian academics. It further offered a rare opportunity for graduate students to participate, engage and present their work in an international forum. And finally, the event has reinforced existing institutional connections while helping to build new ties between Chernivtsi National University, the University of Saskatchewan, St. Thomas More College, Prairie Centre for Ukrainian Heritage, Hnatyshyn Center for Canadian Studies, and the Canadian Embassy in Ukraine.
“Managing Immigration: The Recent Canadian, Ukrainian, Saskatchewan Experience” was an initiative of the Prairie Centre for the Study of Ukrainian Heritage at St Thomas More College and the Ramon Hnatyshyn Canadian Studies Centre at Chernivtsi National University. The roundtable was supported by a grant from the Government of Saskatchewan, Dept of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration. Additional support was provided by the Prairie Centre for the Study of Ukrainian Heritage (PCUH), the U of S College of Graduate Studies, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Government of Canada). Planning for the event and program was coordinated by Prof. Bohdan Kordan (PCUH, Research Associate) and Dr Vitaliy Makar (Hnatyshyn Center, Director) with the assistance of Mr. Carl Hydomako (Hnatyshyn Center, UofS Graduate Intern). The presenters included Dr. Bohdan Kordan (STM), Dr. David McGrane (STM), Dr. Joe Garcea (UofS), Ms. Tara Longmire (UofS), Ms. Kim Assailly (UofS), Dr. Taras Lupul (CNU), Dr. Vitaliy Makar (CNU), and Dr. V. Fisanov (CNU).