Canadian issues

Premier Kathleen Wynne released the following statement on her bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Toronto: “It was a pleasure to officially meet with President Poroshenko today. Ontario shares a special relationship with Ukraine and its people. The people of Ontario, along with other Canadians, have worked to help build a stable democracy and economy in Ukraine. “The President and I, along with Hon. Dipika Damerla, Minister of Senior Affairs, and MPP Yvan Baker, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance, spoke about strengthening the bilateral relationship between Ontario and Ukraine, exploring future areas of cooperation between our two jurisdictions and the many contributions of the Ukrainian-Canadian community to our province. President Poroshenko asked us to share our expertise in inclusive education and telemedicine, which we are committed to doing...

“I am pleased to extend my best wishes to Ontario’s Ukrainian community as we celebrate the 26th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. “Canada is home to nearly 1.3 million Canadians of Ukrainian heritage with close to one-third calling Ontario their home. Ontario’s vibrant Ukrainian community has contributed immeasurably to our province and our country. They have played an important role in building our prosperous and pluralistic society...

Senator Raynell Andreychuk today marked Ukrainian Independence Day by reiterating calls for Russia to release political prisoners and reinstate the territorial integrity of Ukraine. “Twenty-six years ago, the people of Ukraine declared their independence with parliament’s adoption of the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine,” noted Senator Andreychuk. “This occasion marks an opportunity to acknowledge the commitment of the Ukrainian people, and the support of the Ukrainian diaspora, in building a free and independent Ukraine.”...

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Ukrainian Independence Day: “Today, Ukrainians and Ukrainian communities in Canada and around the world celebrate 26 years of independence and freedom. “As we mark both this important occasion and 150 years since Confederation, I invite Canadians to reflect on the immeasurable contribution of the Ukrainian-Canadian community to building a diverse and inclusive Canada...

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, and the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs today announced that the Government of Canada is extending Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces military training mission in Ukraine, until the end of March 2019. Through Operation UNIFIER, the Canadian Armed Forces provides military training and capacity-building assistance to Ukrainian Forces personnel in support of Ukraine’s efforts to maintain sovereignty, security, and stability...

On Thursday November 17, 2016, a book launch was held in Toronto to introduce the newly published book by Prof. Bohdan Kordan, NO FREE MAN: Canada, the Great War, and the Enemy Alien Experience. Organized by McGill-Queen’s University Press, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Toronto Branch, and The Shevchenko Scientific Society, the launched was the first in Eastern Canada and attendees had the opportunity to hear about many aspects of the Internment of Ukrainians and other Eastern Europeans during the period 1914-1920...

On Saturday, 26 November 2016, the international community will pay tribute to the innocent victims of the Holodomor, the 1932-33 genocide of the Ukrainian nation. In an attempt to silence the Ukrainian nation and quell its aspirations for freedom, Joseph Stalin’s totalitarian regime, fearing the power of a determined people, sentenced millions of Ukrainians to death by starvation. “Ukraine is now of the utmost importance ... If we do not deal with the situation in Ukraine, we can lose Ukraine forever ...”, Stalin wrote...

The Leader of the Official Opposition and Interim Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Rona Ambrose, issued the following statement to mark Holodomor: “Today marks the grim anniversary of Holodomor, a somber occasion when the world remembers the forced starvation and oppression of Ukrainian men, women and children by the Soviet regime during the great famine of 1932-33...

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement today on Holodomor Memorial Day: “Today, we commemorate one of the darkest chapters in human history: the forced starvation of millions of Ukrainians by the tyrannical regime of Joseph Stalin in the early 1930s. This genocidal act was designed to destroy the identity and will of the Ukrainian people. It did not achieve its aim. Despite the brutality of the Holodomor, Ukrainians endured and, after decades of Soviet control, Ukraine achieved its independence in 1991...

Kerry Diotte has introduced his first Private Members’ Bill (PMB) in the House of Commons. The bill is titled An Act to establish a Crimean Tatar Deportation (“Sürgünlik”) Memorial Day and to recognize the mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 as an act of genocide. “My Bill condemns a dark chapter in history and takes a principled stand in support of freedom, democracy and the rule of law,” said Diotte, who was elected on Oct. 19, 2015. If passed, this Act will recognize the mass deportations of Crimean Tatars in 1944 by the Soviet regime as genocide and establish May 18 as a day of commemoration...