Ewasew, John

Ewasew, John [Івасів, Іван; Ivasiv, Ivan], b 13 March 1922 in Grenfell, Saskatchewan, d 20 March 1978 in Montreal, Quebec. Lawyer, businessman and Canadian senator. A son of Ukrainian immigrants from Bukovyna (his father arrived in Canada in 1911), Ewasew grew up in Grenfell where he belonged to a parish of the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada. During the Depression, he travelled in freight cars across the Rocky Mountains in search of work and learned from personal experience the problems of unemployment during this difficult period. During the Second World War, he enlisted in the Canadian Army in September 1939 and subsequently served in England, Italy, France, Belgium, and Holland. Having returned to Canada in October 1945, he completed his high school education and then graduated with a BA from Regina College. He then attended the University of Saskatchewan and from 1947 studied law at McGill University, graduating as lawyer in 1950. He also served in the contingents of the Canadian Officer Training Corps, earned the rank of a captain in 1949, and was active in the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (Reserves). Ewasew was admitted to the bar in Quebec, practiced law in Montreal as a partner in a law firm, and in 1965 was appointed Queen’s Counsel. He was vice-president of the Law Graduates Society of McGill and a member of the Quebec and Canadian Bar Associations. He was active in veterans’ organizations and held executive positions as Quebec provincial command president and first vice-president of the Dominion Command of Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans of Canada. Later he joined the Mazeppa Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Montreal and was appointed the honourary president of the Ukrainian Canadian Veterans’ Association. In 1967 he received the Centennial Medal for his work among veterans. He also received the Amity Medal from the American Legion for his contributions to international veterans affairs.

In the late 1950s Ewasew became an active member in the Liberal Party of Canada and vice-president of the Notre Dame de Grace Liberal Association. Overall, in Canadian politics, he was a federalist. He held the position as president of the Mount Royal Liberal Association in the 1968 and 1972 federal elections. He was also the campaign manager for Pierre Elliot Trudeau who was recruited by Prime Minister Lester Pearson to strengthen Liberal Party representation in Quebec. Ewasew held this position for 12 years. Between 1969 and 1978 he served on the Manpower and Immigration Council of Canada. On 17 December 1976 he was summoned to the Senate. In the Senate, he spoke on various issues including immigration matters, veterans’ affairs, and Canadian unity. He defended the interests of French Canadians, and in his speeches, supported freedom of information and the policy of multiculturalism. Among his other Senate duties, he was appointed to the Standing Joint Committee on Regulations and Other Statutory Instruments. As businessman, Ewasew was director of several companies involved in transport, real estate, and the pulp and paper business. An active member of the Ukrainian community, he was vice-president (in 1975) of the Quebec branch of the Canadian Ukrainian Professional and Businessmen’s Association. He was also a member of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Father Jean Foundation in Montreal.

Myron Momryk

[This article was updated in 2025.]