Diaspora

On July 3, 2019 the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Toronto (UCPBA) hosted an evening featuring the Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Yakiv Smolii. The event which was held at the Albany Club in Toronto was exclusively sponsored by BCU Financial Group, which has continually supported many economic and democratic reforms in Ukraine since its declaration of independence in 1991. The president of the UCPBA, Marc Marzotto thanked BCU Financial Group for their generous support and welcomed the 125 guests and dignitaries in attendance. He then turned it over to Olha Senyshyn who introduced the keynote speaker Mr. Smolii...

The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) is calling for volunteers to participate in the work of the UWC International Observation Mission to Ukraine's 2019 Elections (UWC Mission) during Ukraine's Parliamentary election on July 21, 2019. The UWC Mission will monitor the Early Parliamentary Election in Ukraine and provide assessments on the compliance to Ukraine's domestic law and its commitments to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe, as well as other international standards for democratic elections...

At a press conference on Parliament Hill the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) launched its national policy priorities in advance of this year's federal election in Canada. The six policy briefs below are the result of extensive consultation and research which included community engagement over the past several months. The UCC's key priorities are as follows...

The ancient Ukrainian tradition of the eggs painting originates in sun worship that goes back in time for more than two thousand years, and always has been considered a way to protect against evil. It sparks creativity and imagination every spring before Easter. People also enjoy to put together Pysanka puzzles; famous designers incorporate Pysanka’ s symbols and patterns in their fashion creations. Long before Christianity it was believed that the universe and life originated from an egg (Iaitse-Raitse, as Ukrainians call it): iaitse - an egg, the root word rai means Eden...

Ukrainians began immigrating to Canada as early as the 1880s from a society where the Church was an integral part of daily life. Out of necessity, the initial years in Canada were devoted to basic survival. By 1918, after almost 25 years of Ukrainian settlement in Canada, the Ukrainian Canadian community had become strong enough financially and organizationally to respond to the spiritual, social and cultural needs of the community by establishing the Church of their forefathers in their new homeland, thereby contributing to Canada’s developing cultural fabric...

Russian president Vladimir Putin has once again committed an act of aggression against Ukraine. On April 24, 2019 he signed a decree setting out which groups of Ukrainians are entitled to apply for a fast-track Russian citizenship. The simplified procedure of obtaining a Russian passport would apply to the residents of Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk currently under occupation by Russian forces. The Russian president made the decision “in order to protect human and citizen rights and freedoms” based on “commonly recognized principles and norms of international law” in accordance with the Russian Law on Citizenship from May 31, 2002...

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau: As part of ongoing international efforts to assist Ukraine in building its military and security capacity, approximately 200 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel are currently deployed to Ukraine to provide Ukrainian soldiers with training. Since 2015, the program has trained more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers. I was honoured to be part of your delegation in 2016 when we visited the base in Western Ukraine where CAF personnel train Ukrainian soldiers. At that time, you stated, “The reason we’re here supporting Ukraine is not just because Ukraine is a good friend to Canada and the Ukrainian people are good friends to us. It’s because the values, the principles that they’re fighting for are the values and principles that we stand for and that we fight for.”...

On November 25, 2018, in a deliberate and unprovoked attack, Russian warships attacked and opened fire on Ukrainian navy ships in neutral waters in the Sea of Azov. Russia’s attack can only be seen as a premeditated act of aggression to gain control over the Azov Sea and blockade Ukrainian maritime traffic in and out of the Kerch Strait in order to destabilize Ukraine in the run-up to Ukraine’s 2019 elections. The time for empty rhetoric of condemnation and grave concern has ended. Concrete action is necessary now. The international community must respond forcefully to this disgraceful act of aggression by Russia. The League of Ukrainian Canadians calls on Canada, the...

Dear Readers, Contributors and Clients, On behalf of the Ukrainian Echo we wish you a Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! Christmas is a time of unconditional love, charity and joy. The birth of Jesus Christ has taught us to find kindness and understanding for those less fortunate than ourselves. For most of us Christmas will consist of celebrating midnight Mass, singing Carols and of course, Christmas dinner with family and friends. However, this year Christmas takes on an additional meaning, for the unthinkable violence that headlines our news day-in and day-out cruelly robbing families of their loved ones in Ukraine. Christmas will only serve as a stark reminder of the...

The XI Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) elected Paul Grod President. The UWC Congress also elected the UWC leadership for the next four years, including the Executive Committee, Board of Directors and an Advisory Committee. The announcement was made on November 28, 2018 at press briefing about the XI Ukrainian World Congress (UWC). In addition to newly-elected President, the Board of Directors who will lead the UWC for the next four years includes the First Vice President- Stefan Romaniw, Second Vice President - Anna Kisil, and Third Vice President - Andrew Futey. Paul Grod is an active leader of the Ukrainian community in Canada. For 10 years he has been...