Ukrainian Canadians

A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2001 there were an estimated 1,071,060 persons residing in Canada (mainly Canadian citizens) of Ukrainian origin, 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 "aliens of enemy nationality". This classification, authorized by the 1914 War Measures Act, permitted the government to legally compel Ukrainian Canadians to register with authorities. About 5,000 Ukrainian men were interned at government camps and work sites. The internment continued for two more years after the war had ended, although most Ukrainians were paroled into jobs for private companies by 1917.

There are several plaques and memorials in Canada commemorating the internment, including one at the location of a former internment camp in Banff National Park. In 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin recognized the Ukrainian-Canadian internment as a "dark chapter" in Canadian history, and pledged $2.5 million to fund memorials and educational exhibits.

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

• Dave Andreychuk - hockey player
• James Bezan - MP
• Roberta Bondar - Astronaut
• Roman Danylo - comedian
• Peter Dmytruk - World War II hero
• Ivan Doroschuk - frontman of Men Without Hats
• 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 recipient
• Peter Liba - former Lieutenant-governor of Manitoba
• Eugene Melnick - owner of Biovail Pharma & Ottawa Senators NHL team
• Steve Peters - Ontario cabinet minister
• Roy Romanow - former Saskatchewan Premier
• Marsha Skrypuch - writer
• Theresa Sokyrka - singer
• John Sopinka - jurist
• Jordin Tootoo - hockey player (Ukrainian-Canadian mother)
• Alex Trebek - TV game show host
• Judy Wasylycia-Leis - MP
• Ed Werenich - curler
• Borys Wrzesnewskyj - MP

References

• Orest Martynowych. Ukrainians in Canada: The formative period, 1891–1924. Edmonton (1991) Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. ISBN 0-92086-276-4.