Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2001 there were 1,071,060 Canadians of Ukrainian descent, making them Canada's eighth largest ethnic group.
Ukrainian Canadians are concentrated in the parklands belt and cities of the Prairie provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, whose frigid terrain has many similarities with the farmlands and steppes of Ukraine. In addition to the official English and French, many prairie public schools offer Ukrainian-language education for children.
There are also large Ukrainian communities in Toronto and Montreal.
The Ukrainians have long been at the heart of Canadian socialism. Most Ukrainians were anti-Soviet, but a significant minority were communists and made up the largest block in the Communist Party of Canada. Ukrainians also played a central role in the formation of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the New Democratic Party.
From 1914 to 1920, the political climate of the First World War allowed the Canadian Government to classify Ukrainian immigrants with Austro-Hungarian citizenship as "enemy aliens". This classification, authorized by the 1914 War Measures Act, permitted the government to legally compel Ukrainian Canadians to register with authorities, as well as subjection to confinement in forced labour camps. This arrangement of free labour proved extremely profitable for Canadian Corporations and as a result, was allowed to continue for two more years after the war had ended. Some groups are seeking reparations from the Canadian Government for the Ukrainian Canadian community.
The Ukrainian Cultural Centre of Victoria, British Columbia displays a plaque which commemorates the victims of this dark period in Canadian History
There are a number of Ukrainian Canadian institutions such as:
- Ukrainian Canadian Congress, a national organization representing the Ukrainian Canadian community
- Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
- Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies at the University of Manitoba
Famous Ukrainian Canadians
- James Bezan - MP
- Roberta Bondar - Astronaut
- Peter Dmytruk - World War II hero
- Ernie Eves - former Ontario Premier
- Gary Filmon - former Manitoba Premier
- Luba Goy - comedian
- Wayne Gretzky - Hockey Player
- Ramon John Hnatyshyn - Governor-General
- Stephen Juba - former Winnipeg mayor
- Gerard Kennedy - Ontario cabinet minister
- Filip Konowal - Victoria Cross winner
- Peter Liba - former Lieutenant-governor of Manitoba
- Steve Peters - Ontario cabinet minister
- Roy Romanow - former Saskatchewan Premier
- Marsha Skrypuch - writer
- John Sopinka - jurist
- Judy Wasylycia-Leis - MP
- Ed Werenich - Curler
- Borys Wrzesnewskyj - MP