Krawchuk, Peter, 1911-1997 : Peter Krawchuk was born on 8 July, 1911 in Stoianiv, now in western Ukraine. The village was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in the post-World War I period fell under Polish administration. Peter was educated in the local village school and attended the gymnasium (high school) in the near-by town of Radekhiv until it was closed by Polish authorities in 1926. He became active in various local political and cultural organizations most notably the Prosvita Society and the socialist Selianska Robitnycha Partiia (Sel-Rob Party) eventually becoming a member of the Communist Youth League (Komsomol). His political activities as organizer and public speaker drew the attention of the Polish police authorities. With his father's permission, Peter emigrated to Canada in April, 1930 to join a brother who had emigrated earlier. Peter arrived in Winnipeg at the beginning of the Depression. He soon joined the local Ukrainian Labour Farmer Temple Association (ULFTA) and became a member of the Central Committee of its Youth Section in 1931. During this period he also joined the Communist Party of Canada (CPC). He attended the ULFTA Higher Education Course in 1936 which became famous for its many graduates who later became notable leaders in the Ukrainian left-wing movement. When he graduated, Peter began his career as a journalist for the newspaper, Ukrainski Robitnychi Visti (Ukrainian labour news). He continued in his early career after the outbreak of the Second World War in September, 1939. During May-June, 1940, the Communist Party of Canada was outlawed along with related organizations and their leadership. Peter was interned by the Canadian federal government along with the other leaders of the CPC. He was held in various internment camps and prisons including Kananiskis, Alberta, Petawawa, Ontario and Hull, Quebec. When Peter was released in February, 1942, he continued his work with the Ukrainian left-wing organizations. After the war, he moved with his family to work in Toronto and became an active member of the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC). In 1947, he was a member of a delegation to Ukraine which brought a large supply of humanitarian aid from Ukrainian Canadians for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. He remained after the mission for two years as a 'special correspondent' for several Ukrainian left-wing newspapers in Canada and the United States. In the 1950's and 1960's, Peter Krawchuk held various positions on the national executive of the AUUC and continued to contribute to their press. He also visited Ukraine to attend various conferences and meetings and formed lasting friendships with Ukrainian poets, artists and writers. Peter Krawchuk continued his press and organizational activities and regularly visited AUUC branches across Canada. He also participated in national and international conferences and meetings. He wrote about his travels in the press and these articles would often appear as publications. He continued in his profession as a journalist until his retirement in 1991. He wrote his memoirs, Bez nedomovok (Without regrets) which were published in Ukraine in 1996. He also published a history of the AUUC entitled, Our History. In August, 1996, he donated his archival collection to the National Archives of Canada. Peter Krawchuk died on February 3, 1997 in Toronto.
