Ukrainian interns get lessons on democracy on Parliament Hill
Published: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 | 10:08 AM ET
Canadian Press Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - Aishe Memetova talks about meeting the Speaker of the House of Commons or the auditor general like another 19-year-old might rave about seeing a "Twilight" star in the flesh.
The Ukrainian law student is interning on Parliament Hill, part of a 20-year-old program that brings young people from her country to the nation's capital.
Memetova could be the poster girl for what the Canadian government is aiming for: a bright young adult who will absorb as much as possible about how a functioning democracy works.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced during a visit to Ukraine this week a youth-mobility agreement under which more young people will work, study and travel in each country.
"We have the ability to attend question period, to observe all of these processes going on in Parliament, and all of them are so transparent," she says. "It's so different from Ukraine."
Memetova is one of a critical generation, the first to emerge from post-Soviet Ukraine.
She went through a year-long process that involved myriad essays and research projects before ultimately landing in Ottawa with 22 other students.
She'll work for two months in the office of Liberal MP and Ukrainian-Canadian Borys Wrzesnewskyj. The hope is that some of these keen young interns return to help strengthen the often-wavering democracy in Ukraine.
"Unfortunately, I should admit that things have become worse," Memetova says of the situation in her country.
"That is why it is important for youth to learn about real democracy, to learn about parliamentary democracy and implement these principles in our own countries in order not to be caught in authoritarianism or what could be worse — a dictatorship."
Memetova says she appreciates the welcome she's received in Ottawa. At a flea market last weekend, she and a group of other interns were approached as they spoke Ukrainian to one another.
"We were surprised a lot of people came to us and asked if we were from Ukraine and some even started talking to us in Ukrainian," she says. "The connection is very impressive."
