The Honourable Member for Vegreville: The Memoirs and Diary of Anthony Hlynka, M.P.

Joseph Garcea is a professor of political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan.

Ukrainian-Canadian politician Anthony Hlynka is not well-known outside his ethno-cultural community and is becoming even less known with each passing generation. But his accomplishments during his nine years as a Social Credit Member of Parliament from Vegreville, five of which he served as the only Member of Parliament of Ukrainian heritage, are both interesting and important.

Particularly important is his work to raise consciousness regarding the plight of Ukrainian refugees in the immediate post–Second World War period and to assist many of them to come to Canada. Indeed, his role in that migration of refugees contributed to what is known as the third wave of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. His profile as a proactive and progressive Member of Parliament inspired a steady stream of Ukrainian-Canadians to become political candidates and legislators, especially in the Vegreville and Edmonton region.

However, this book is about more than the life of a single politician from a minority group; it is also about the nature of the country and the Alberta community in which he lived, the plight of Ukrainian refugees in the immediate post–Second World War period and Canada’s contribution to the resettlement of many of them, the history of Alberta’s Ukrainian-Canadians during the first half of the 20th century, and the perennial challenges that confronted Canadian farmers.

The pictures of Mr. Hlynka, members of his family, and others in various chapters bring the book to life. His original essays and his speeches on a wide range of topics provide the reader with some interesting insights on each of those topics, as well as his ideas.

This is a special book for a special audience interested in Ukrainian history. It is not a book that will interest everyone. Whereas some readers will consider it too detailed, dense, and dry, others will consider it engaging and enlightening. Regardless of how they view these particular aspects of the book, it is unlikely that anyone will conclude that it is not interesting or important.