Her Excellency Larisa Galadza and His Excellency Andriy Shevchenko | Canada-Ukraine Cooperation: Promoting Euro-Atlantic Security

 Larisa Galadza earned a B.A. Hons. in Political Science and Ethics from Trinity College at the University of Toronto (1994) and an M.A. in International Affairs from Carleton University (1996). After joining the Department of National Defence in 1996, she worked in policy-related positions at the Privy Council Office in 2001 and at the Treasury Board Secretariat from 2003. In 2006 she moved to Public Safety Canada, where she was director of Strategic Policy and Research and then senior director for National Security Policy. From 2012 Ms. Galadza served at the Privy Council Office as director of operations for the Social Affairs Committee of Cabinet, from 2014 she was director general of Admissibility at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and from 2016 she was director general of the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program at Global Affairs Canada. In 2019 Ms. Galadza became the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine.

 Andriy Shevchenko earned an M.A. in Journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University (1999) and had an accomplished career in politics and media, including fellowships at Yale (2008) and Stanford (2009), before joining Ukraine’s diplomatic corps. As a seasoned journalist, he was one of the founders of 5 Kanal, the first 24/7 news channel in Ukraine, and in 2004 he was the face of the Orange Revolution for TV audiences. In 2005 he received the Press Freedom Award from Reporters Without Borders. After that Mr. Shevchenko embarked on a successful political career. He was elected to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine three times (Independent), serving as chair of the Free Speech Committee in 2006–14 and as first deputy chair of the Human Rights Committee in 2012–14; he also sponsored sixty legislative bills, including the Law of Ukraine “On Access to Information.” After actively participating as a civil rights defender during the Revolution of Dignity (EuroMaidan), in September 2015 Mr. Shevchenko was appointed as the Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada.