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OTTAWA, ON – Kerry Diotte, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Griesbach, issued the following statement on the Liberals’ decision to undermine establishing a Memorial Day for the Crimean Tatars:

“In 2016, Conservatives proposed Bill C-306 to establish a Crimean Tatar Deportation (“Sürgünlik”) Memorial Day to recognize the 200,000 Crimean Tatars deported by the Soviet Union in 1944 as genocide.

“While this legislation gained widespread support, the Liberals used their majority to defeat this bill at second reading in the House of Commons. With the introduction of a non-binding motion with similar content in an election year, the Liberals are once again putting their partisan interests ahead of what’s best for Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars. 

“The vast majority of Liberal MPs denied Crimean Tatars from memorializing a significant time in their history. Canadians will not forget the Liberals’ shameful voting record when they had the opportunity to do the right thing.

“By defeating Bill C-306, Justin Trudeau and the Liberals once again confirm that they are more interested in appeasing Vladimir Putin than standing up for Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, and those oppressed by Putin’s regime.

“Canada’s Conservatives will continue to stand with Ukrainians, Crimeans, and all those fighting to uphold freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.”

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On May 8, 1945 the War in Europe ended. 
After twelve long bleak years – six of which at war – the tyranny of Nazi Germany came to an end. 
Yet, that victory over tyranny came at a steep price, 42,042 Canadians paid the ultimate sacrifice for that victory in Europe and later in the Pacific. 
Seventy-four years later the sacrifice of those everyday heroes hasn’t been forgotten, nor should it ever be. Lest we forget. #lestweforget#VictoryinEurope

The office of Kerry Diotte, Member of Parliament (MP) for Edmonton Griesbach, is seeking a candidate to fill the full-time position of Constituent Assistant in Edmonton.

The ideal candidate is a self-starter who takes initiative and possesses strong interpersonal skills. The candidate must possess sound judgement and absolute discretion.

Position Description:

• Assisting residents of the riding of Edmonton Griesbach to get help from federal government departments
• Liaising with community leaders and organizers
• Seeking out key events and activities for the MP to attend in the community
• Organizing the member’s local schedule
• Occasional weekend and evening events with the MP

Qualifications and Experience:

• Degree or diploma in a relevant field or equivalent work experience
• Strong interpersonal communication skills including professionalism on the phone
• Excellent writing, organizational and time management skills
• Works well as part of a team in a professional setting
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Excel, Outlook

Assets:

• Previous political work experience
• Proficiency in a language other than English
• Social media abilities
• Basic skills with smartphone photography and video

Interested candidates should send their cover letter, resume and writing samples to the attention of Sally Harris at: kerry.diotte@parl.gc.ca

**We thank all for applying, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. **

April 30, 2019

NEWS RELEASE

Newspaper apologizes to Edmonton Griesbach Conservative MP

A libel lawsuit brought against the University of Alberta student publication The Gateway by Edmonton Griesbach Member of Parliament Kerry Diotte has been settled.

The settlement came after the newspaper agreed to publish a full retraction and apology for publishing two articles that referred to Diotte as “a racist.”

“I’m glad that my lawyer and theirs could come to a mutually agreeable solution without a protracted court fight,” said Diotte, a former journalist and an ex-national director of the Canadian Association of Journalists.

“I’m a strong believer in free speech but it’s important to remember there are legal lines that can’t be crossed,” he said.

“Those legal lines against libel apply whether you’re a mainstream journalist, a blogger or a commentator on Twitter.”

The Member of Parliament, elected in 2015, says he now considers the issue resolved and does not intend to make further public comments on it.

Below is the text of The Gateway’s full retraction and apology:

Apology and retraction to Kerry Diotte, Member of Parliament

On November 3, 2018 and November 5, 2018, the University of Alberta Gateway newspaper published articles online about Edmonton-Griesbach Member of Parliament Kerry Diotte that described him as “a racist.”

That characterization of Mr. Diotte is false, damaging to his reputation, and caused Mr. Diotte and his family unwarranted embarrassment.

The Gateway sincerely and wholeheartedly apologizes to Mr. Diotte for this wrongful characterization and retracts the offending articles.

https://www.thegatewayonline.ca/2019/04/apology-and-retraction-to-kerry-diotte-member-of-parliament/

I learned some lessons from the April 21 presidential election in Kyiv, Ukraine.

It gave me a front-row seat to history by being an official observer of that election featuring a runoff between two candidates.

I participated along with scores of others in a mission sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

I was teamed up monitoring polls in Kyiv with Miguel Santos, a lawyer from Portugal and former Member of Parliament in that country.

Essentially we were part of a very large operation that monitored the vote. We did our part by visiting numerous polls in Kyiv, most of which were in schools that were empty on the Sunday election day.

The election itself was not a cliff-hanger. It was a runoff between Ukraine TV star and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky who handily defeated incumbent Petro Poroshenko. 

Ukrainians were in the mood for change and Zelensky wound up scooping nearly three quarters of all the votes cast.

One lesson for me was that the voting — from what our OSCE observers witnessed — seemed as smooth and likely even better organized than I’ve seen at polls in Canada.

The polls my colleague and I visited had well-organized officials who were welcoming and well-prepared for the task at hand.

A comprehensive report on the entire mission will be released soon by the OSCE.

But the key lesson I learned was just how dedicated people were about voting.

Several of the polls we visited were held on the third floor of schools that didn’t have elevators. That’s not exactly an ideal situation for easy accessibility.

But, unlike Canada, the Ukrainian system offered voters a chance to have their ballot and a ballot box delivered to them.

It didn’t seem to be something people were taking advantage of that much. 

But I did witness several elderly people using canes and crutches to climb the stairs in order to go vote in person. 

That kind of determination is admirable.

I believe it shows that people who have not had the luxury of a lifetime with a truly democratic system have a deep appreciation of it — likely deeper than many Canadians have.

I think Canadians could learn a lesson from this.

Canadians who can’t be bothered to even vote should keep the Ukrainian example in mind next time there’s an election in this country. (For those who aren’t paying attention our federal election is due to take place Oct. 21).

We’re truly lucky to live in a democracy that has never fallen into any form of tyranny.

That sentiment of the true value of democracy has been reinforced by my recent trip to Ukraine. There, they get it.

(Comments? Email Kerry at kerry.diotte@parl.gc.ca)

Easter marks the renewal of spring after a long winter.

It’s also a time for friends and families to come together.

Regardless of your beliefs, I wish everyone a happy Easter.

On this day 102 years ago, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps stormed Vimy Ridge. By April 12, after four days of heavy fighting, the Canadians Corps held the ridge and captured more than 4,000 prisoners. This important victory, earned Canadian soldiers a reputation as a formidable and an effective army.

This also marked the first time that all four Canadian divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force would fight together as one unit composed of Canadians from coast to coast to coast. This was a defining moment in Canadian history and helped forge our nation.

Yet, this came at a huge cost, 3,598 Canadians lost their lives and 7,000 were wounded during the battle. Lest we forget.