Paul Yuzyk
Paul Yuzyk (24 June 1913 – 9 July 1986) was a Canadian historian and Senator remembered as the "father of multiculturalism." He was appointed to the Canadian Senate on 4 February 1963 on the recommendation of John Diefenbaker. He sat as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus until his death.
Paul Yuzyk | |
|---|---|
| Senator for Fort Garry, Manitoba | |
| In office February 4, 1963 – July 9, 1986 | |
| Appointed by | John Diefenbaker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 June 1913 Pinto (near Estevan), Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Died | July 9, 1986 (aged 73) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Occupation | Author, editor, professor, professor (associate) - history, teacher |
He was an associate professor of Slavic studies and professor of history at the University of Manitoba and a professor of Russian and Soviet history at the University of Ottawa. He was the author of several books including The Ukrainians in Manitoba: A Social History (1953), Ukrainian Canadians: Their Place and Role in Canadian Life (1967), and For a Better Canada (1974). He was co-editor, with William Darcovich, of the book A Statistical Compendium on the Ukrainians in Canada 1891-1976 (1980).
Yuzyk is remembered for being an early advocate of the concept of multiculturalism, which he first broached in a senate speech on March 3, 1963. In the speech he criticized the Lester Pearson government for consecrating "Biculturalism" in the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, which Yuzyk said ignored the reality that Canada was in fact a "multicultural" society.