UKRAINIAN HISTORY - A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS

(The views expressed in these papers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Calgary Branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.)

Video from Stefan Romaniw, the chair of the Ukrainian World Congress International Holodomor Committee.

 http://www.theage.com.au/multimedia/ukrainefamine/main.html

THE UKRAINE FAMINE: ITS GENESIS AND EFFECTS

David R. Marples, For the Commemorative event in Calgary, 25 November 2006

The following are academic papers completed by local students.

Please contact us to add your submission.  Any use of these papers must conform to academic citation standards.  
 

Canada’s First National Internment Operations 1914-1920

Is There a Need for a Public Apology?

Canada’s First National Internment Operations 1914-1920

Negotiation for Redress

HISTORY OF UKRAINIAN CANADIAN CONGRESS (UCC)

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is a national umbrella organization that serves the needs of Ukrainians living in Canada. 

Prior to the establishment of the UCC as an institution, there were many local grass roots Ukrainian groups across Canada.  Many settlers, upon their arrival to Canada in the early 1890s, built churches and community centers and developed programming, such as Ukrainian language and cultural education, to meet their needs.  Coordination of these activities were usually religious, under the banner of the Brotherhood of Ukrainian Catholics and the Ukrainian Self Reliance League for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Canada.  Non-religious groups were also established at this time including the Ukrainian National Federation, a military based group in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Labor Organization.  These groups served the needs of their separate constituents well, however there was little coordination amongst these groups to address the issues that affected all Ukrainians.  For instance, national leadership was lacking during Canada’s First National Internment Operations from 1914 to 1920, where over 5,000 Ukrainians and were interned and their property confiscated. They were deemed to be enemy aliens because they held passports classifying them as citizens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with whom Canada, through the British Empire, was at war with.  Moreover, a nationally coordinated effort could have increased the credibility of a small delegation of Ukrainian Canadians who traveled to Paris to assist Ukraine’s delegation with its goal of establishing statehood at the Treaty of Versaille.

The idea of for the Ukrainian Canadian Congress started taking form in the mid 1920s and early 1930s.  However, before any umbrella organization could be formed, there was a need to reconcile infighting amongst groups and find compromise where  there was a difference of opinion.  The Second World War and its affects on the people of Ukraine was the catalyst which prompted the UCC to be formed.  The first formal meeting of various Ukrainian organizations in Canada took place in Winnipeg during the summer of 1943 under the leadership of the Right Reverend Monsignor Dr. W. Kushnir, who eventually became the first president.  The meeting established a structure of representation which was comprised of groups, rather than individual memberships, ensuring that the opinions of the each organization were represented on the board of directors. The slogan of the first meeting of the UCC was “in unity lies our strength” which is remains the present day mantra of the UCC.  During the first convention, the UCC established two primary goals.  The first was to encourage Ukrainian Canadians to assist with Canada’s war effort and the second was to explain to government the challenges facing Ukrainians living in Canada and Europe.  The ultimate goal of the UCC, following the Second World War was to see a free and independent Ukraine.   

The UCC played a very active role in the decades following its establishment.  After the end of the Second World War, the UCC met with various government officials to facilitate the immigration of displaced Ukrainians to Canada.  Thousands of immigrants arrived to Canada with few possessions and little, if any, knowledge of English.  The UCC established programming to assist with settlement.  These immigrants started their own organizations, including libraries, newspapers and social agencies and eventually joined the UCC, expanding the composition and diversity of the board of directors.  Many youth groups were established, developing future leaders for the UCC. To assist with its mandate, the UCC established committees, each with representation from its membership, to further develop strategies and programs to meet the needs of the community.  These committees included the finance and internal affairs, human rights, arts and culture, youth issues, constitution, education, special events, civil liberties, and Canada-Soviet (now Canada-Ukraine) relations. The structure of the UCC has changed very little since its inception.  It remains an organization comprised of groups and its mandate remains one of preserving and promoting Ukrainian culture in Canada.  It is continues to represent the community at the  government level.  The board of directors remains comprised of volunteers and supported by paid staff, including an executive director.  The majority of the funding received by the UCC comes from private donors.  The remainder come from project based grants.  The UCC also extends to the provincial and local levels as well where the same structure of group membership and committee’s focused on provincial and local needs.   

During the time of rapid community growth, the UCC had strong ties and access to government and its leaders.  This helped to facilitate the implementation of numerous programs including Ukrainian language education in schools, the creation of Ukrainian academic institutions at the post-secondary level and establishment of policies favorable to community groups.  In 1961, John Diefenbaker, along with the premiers of Manitoba and Saskatchewan unveiled a large than life size statute of Ukraine’s famous poet and hero, Taras Shevchenko and assisted with establishing a permanent endowment for the promotion of Ukrainian arts and culture.  In 1971, Pierre Trudeau chose the evening banquet of the Triennial Conference of the UCC to announce Canada’s multicultural policy.  In 1991 Brian Mulroney attended a special banquet where Canada became the first country to recognize the independence of Ukraine.  

When Ukrainian statehood was finally achieved in 1991, the UCC continued to flourish.  It collected money for a Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa and set up business and social organizations to assist Ukraine.  The UCC played an active role in the Orange Revolution which brought Ukraine onto the world stage as its people challenged the legitimacy of the presidential elections.  The UCC took an active role in sending election observers to Ukraine.  It worked with the Government of Canada to send additional monitors.  The Orange Revolution served to unite Canadians of Ukrainian descent.  It provided momentum for the UCC to settle other outstanding matters with the government, including gaining restitution as a result of Canada’s First Internment Operations.  The challenge now for the UCC remains engaging people in their culture and heritage and continuing to deliver relevant programming.