Peter Savaryn (September 17, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was a Ukrainian-born Canadian lawyer. During World War II, he belonged to the Waffen-SS Galician Division. He was among the approximately 2,000 Waffen-SS Galicia fighters allowed to immigrate to Canada. Savaryn arrived in Canada in 1949, and attended the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

(B.A. 1955, LLB 1956). Savaryn was a partner in the law firm Savaryn & Savaryn. He was married to Olga (Olya) Prystajecky (1951) with whom he had three children. He served as Chancellor of the

from 1982 to 1986 and was involved with the university Board of Governors and Senate. Savaryn was the president of the

Ukrainian World Congress Ukrainian World Congress ( uk, Світовий Конґрес Українців or ''СКУ'') is a non-profit organization, nonpartisan association, international coordination assembly of all Ukrainian public organizations in diaspora. It repre ...

, at the time called the World Congress of Free Ukrainians, from 1983 to 1988. He was also president of the

Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (often referred to colloquially as Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta) was a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta that existed from 1905 to 2020. The party ...

and vice-president of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...

. Savaryn was awarded an honorary degree in 1987 from the University of Alberta, and was also awarded

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

the same year. He died on April 6, 2017. In 2023, after international scrutiny and outrage when the Canadian government honoured fellow SS Galician veteran Yaroslav Hunka, the Governor General of Canada

Mary Simon Mary Jeannie May Simon (in Inuktitut syllabics: ᒥᐊᓕ ᓴᐃᒪᓐ, iu, script=Latn, Ningiukudluk; born August 21, 1947) is a Canadian civil servant, diplomat, and former broadcaster who has served as the 30th governor general of Canada ...

expressed "deep regret" for Savaryn's award of the Order of Canada in a response to an enquiry from ''

The Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ...

'' magazine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savaryn, Peter 1926 births 2017 deaths People from Ternopil Oblast People from Tarnopol Voivodeship Members of the Galizien division Canadian lawyers Ukrainian SSR emigrants to Canada Members of the Order of Canada University of Alberta alumni University of Alberta Faculty of Law alumni Academic staff of the University of Alberta Chancellors of the University of Alberta