“I want the House to pass this bill to make September Ukrainian Heritage Month. Ukrainian Canadians have built strong communities, culture, and music in my riding for generations. Their spirit and fight for freedom deserve to be honoured.”

“Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to speak to this bill, which comes to us from the other place. I want to give thanks in particular for the hard work of the member for Etobicoke Centre, who has been championing the cause of Ukraine, of Ukrainian Canadians and of Ukrainians in Canada since his election here and since before then, and for his hard work to get the bill to this point in Parliament. It is a special pleasure to speak about Ukrainian heritage, because in my riding of Taiaiko’n—Parkdale—High Park in west Toronto, Ukrainian heritage is something that is lived every day. It is lived in the context of war, which has led to a rediscovery and a reimagining of the Ukrainian heritage brought to us by people who have fled that war to find comfort in Canada. It is building on a legacy of institutions that go back decades in this beautiful corner of west Toronto and on a heritage that continues to live, to thrive and to inform not only Ukrainians and Ukrainian Canadians but, in fact, all our constituents. It is something that has been resurrected in the last few years due to the invasion and to the illegal and unjustified attempt to suppress the Ukrainian spirit and the Ukrainian language. If someone comes to Taiaiko’n—Parkdale—High Park, as well as to other parts of west Toronto, where Ukrainian culture and language are live and living, where we continue to welcome Ukrainians who are fleeing persecution and war, they will see a heritage that cannot be defeated. It is a culture that is living. It is a heritage that we, people such as me who are non-Ukrainian, not of Ukrainian heritage, are so blessed to get to see. It is an example of the continuation of culture that perseveres in the face of a real attempt to wipe it and its language off the face of the earth. To see it resilient in Taiaiko’n—Parkdale—High Park is something for which I have the utmost appreciation. I want to talk a bit about our culture, our Ukrainian heritage, specifically in Taiaiko’n—Parkdale—High Park and in west Toronto. Ukrainians and Ukrainian Canadians started to arrive in our part of Toronto as many immigrant communities do. They came from other parts of Toronto and other parts of Canada. In some cases, they received a bit more wealth. In some cases, they were finding jobs and opportunities in meat-packing and in trades such as roofing, plumbing, painting and bricklaying. Eventually they found each other and found places to settle in Bloor West Village and in Etobicoke. These waves of immigration continued not just after the Second World War but also into the sixties and seventies, and then more recently, tragically, as a result of the war. The institutions of Ukrainian heritage, language and culture are everywhere in west Toronto and Etobicoke. In fact, there is a building in the riding of the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore that is known as UNF hall. It contains dozens of Ukrainian organizations. Ukrainian civil society is alive. It is well. It is strong. I just want to point out a couple of organizations in our riding that have recently celebrated some important anniversaries. For instance, the Levada and Orion choirs of Toronto celebrated their 40th anniversary at Runnymede United Church in Toronto just this past weekend. Ukrainian youth ensembles show the power of song and the power of voices coming together. Voices coming together is one of the ways of expressing the indomitable spirit of a people and the indomitable spirit of a language that continues to persevere even when people try to take that away. Since 1985, youth ensembles, the Levada Women’s Choir, the Orion Men’s Choir and the Vanguard Concert and Marching Band have been connecting people through music. They are promoting and preserving their musical culture and traditions. We have a more recent phenomenon, which is celebrating close to its 20th anniversary: the Vyshyvanka Day parade. Vyshyvankas, of course, are the beautifully embroidered Ukrainian textiles, sweaters, dresses and other garments that a college student in Ukraine rediscovered. They decided they needed to celebrate these unique regional parts of their heritage. Ukrainian Canadians and Ukrainians will often wear vyshyvankas that come from distinct regions of Ukraine. One can tell from the distinct knitting and the distinct textiles where those vyshyvankas, such as sweaters and other garments, might come from. In High Park, Bloor West Village, we celebrate the Vyshyvanka Day parade every year. The Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival has been around since 1995, so we have just celebrated its 30th anniversary. It was started by Jurij Roman Klufas, who has been there since the beginning. The first festival in our riding had 300 people just in a little parking lot off Bloor and Jane streets in the west part of Taiaiko’n—Parkdale—High Park. It is now the largest annual Ukrainian festival in North America. It takes perseverance over 30 years to take something that one truly believes in and build the institutions up. Now prime ministers, leaders of the opposition, dignitaries from all sides and the entire community are coming to west Toronto, to Bloor West Village, in mid-September to celebrate Ukrainian heritage and to see the dozens of Ukrainian organizations. A particular conversation I had with a number of women from the Ukrainian brigades was deeply striking to me. These are Ukrainians who recently arrived in Canada. They want to go back to Ukraine, but in the meantime, they are doing mutual aid. They are selling goods. They are bringing their charitable, intellectual Ukrainian spirit to the community and raising resources that can then be brought to help with the self-defence of Ukraine. I also want to point out the Shevchenko Museum. It is the only Taras Shevchenko museum in North America and is just down the street from our constituency office on Bloor West. Taras Shevchenko, known as Ukraine’s greatest poet and artist, was exiled by the Tsarist Russian regime and sent for punitive military service in the eastern region in the 19th century. He was eventually pardoned, 10 years later. Taras Shevchenko made the bold bet of speaking and writing in the Ukrainian language, which the Russians wanted to suppress. We are fortunate. I am very grateful to my colleague Matthew McCauley, in our office, who got from the parliamentary library the following dedication, which was read by the late prime minister John Diefenbaker at the unveiling of the monument to Taras Shevchenko in Winnipeg in July 1961. He read the following verse at that dedication: Our souls yield not to grievous ills, To freedom march our stubborn wills. Though waves of trouble o’er us roll The waves move not the steadfast soul. Our living spirit is not in chains, The word of God in glory reigns. Prime Minister Diefenbaker then said the following: These sentiments are the epitome of the yearnings of the human soul. If Shevchenko were here today he would see the fruits of his poetry—freedom enjoyed by those of his race and all races...—the manifest manner in which those of Ukrainian descent in Canada have devoted themselves to freedom by service in two world wars, and in the days of peace in so many fields of national endeavour. To those words from Prime Minister Diefenbaker 65 years ago, we now have to, unfortunately, add a remark: “and a war of aggression by the Russians in Ukraine, which has brought more Ukrainians to Canada, and yet they are still devoting themselves to freedom and yet are still devoting themselves in so many fields of national endeavour.” It is that kind of endeavour that we can pay tribute to today. It is a lived heritage that is being experienced today. Another poem from Shevchenko speaks to the yearning for freedom that underlies the spirit of this act and the opportunity to debate this act in Parliament, which is the kind of debate that our Ukrainian friends in Ukraine yearn to have publicly and openly without fear of persecution. Here is the last verse of that poem, as translated by John Weir, My Testament, by Taras Shevchenko: Oh bury me, then rise ye up And break your heavy chains And water with the tyrants’ blood The freedom you have gained. And in the great new family, The family of the free, With softly spoken, kindly word Remember also me. There is so much Ukrainian heritage that we take for granted in our communities today because it is the spirit of freedom on whose shoulders we stand. Ukrainians and Ukrainian Canadians in west Toronto, in Taiaiako’n—Parkdale—High Park, speak their language and celebrate their textiles. They bring their works to places like the Shevchenko Museum, share poetry and share innovations, despite years of war and despite being very recently arrived in Canada. They are bringing innovations, charitable endeavours and the culture and language that the Russians are attempting to suppress. They are bringing it as a living example not only of their heritage but of what it means to be Canadian, with Canadian democracy and Canadian freedoms. To have Ukrainians and Ukrainian Canadians of decades ago, and their families and Ukrainians today, provide this to our riding of Taiaiako’n—Parkdale—High Park is something we are very grateful for, and for that reason, I urge everyone in the House to support this piece of legislation.”

“I support this bill to make September Ukrainian Heritage Month. Ukrainian Canadians have built up Winnipeg and communities across Canada for generations, and they continue to strengthen our country today.”

“Mr. Speaker, it is such a pleasure to stand and speak to an important piece of legislation, Bill S-210, as well as to thank the member for Etobicoke Centre and the Senate for advancing the legislation to where it is today. I think the member for Etobicoke Centre embodies a lot of the good things about our Ukrainian heritage community, but he does not stand alone. There are many leaders within our Ukrainian heritage community who are second to no other in their understanding of the true value of diversity. The best thing we can do here in Canada is to share our heritage. That has blessed all of us in Canada. When I think about the Ukrainian heritage community in Winnipeg, I think of individuals like Joanne Lewandosky, an outstanding Canadian with such a heart for Ukraine and a passion to share Ukrainian heritage with anyone who has an interest in the community. I represent Winnipeg North. Its strength is there today, in part, because of Ukrainian immigrants from generations ago. People can drive down streets like Main Street, Burrows Avenue and McGregor to see historical churches and cathedrals that are absolutely beautiful to walk into, not to mention inspiring. The faith that takes place every week, going back generations, contributes to building and strengthening our Ukrainian heritage community in Manitoba, which is very much alive and continues to contribute in many different ways. If people want a sense of the festivities, whether that is heritage clothing, dance or heritage buildings, they can participate in Folklorama. They have a choice, as this is one of those communities that has not one but two pavilions. In the first week, people can go to either the Kyiv pavilion or the Spirit of Ukraine pavilion, where there are performances to sold-out audiences for seven days, with four or five shows a day, depending on whether it is a Saturday or a weekday. They are virtually sold out all of the time. There is a sense of excitement because people relate to the types of food. Personally, I found out when I was in Kyiv that pierogi are actually called varenyky. I can tell colleagues about the delighted faces one witnesses when people are biting down on borscht and pierogi. I would argue that the best pierogi in the world come from the north end of Winnipeg, from the many volunteers in the basements of our churches. The performances, whether of dance or other arts, provide education on what is taking place in Europe today, which has already been referenced significantly, or just how our Ukrainian heritage community has made Canada a better society. All of this can be experienced over the two wonderful weeks of Folklorama, as it has every summer in Winnipeg for the last 50-plus years now. In terms of contributions to labour and the economy, I think of the late Leo Ledohowski, founder of Canad Inns, a prominent fixture in Winnipeg and beyond, from a business perspective. I think of the Ukrainian Labour Temple, which was constructed back in 1918 or 1919. It still stands today as a heritage site, and it is used, well used, by not only our Ukrainian heritage community but even the newer communities and our first nations. It is a focal point. It is one of the jewels of Winnipeg’s north end. It is not just the north end of Winnipeg that has benefited but some of our rural communities, such as Dauphin, in good part as a result of our Ukrainian heritage community and the many contributions it continues to make. I could talk about those families that have been there for over 100 years, or I could talk about those who have settled over the last few years because of the war taking place in Europe today. I want to let those settlers know that they have advocates here in Ottawa who recognize the valuable contributions they make to Canadian society. There are the many rural northern communities in the Interlake. I see that my colleague from Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman is here. If members go to Gimli, to Winnipeg Beach or to many of these communities, they will see that the settlers from the last few years are bringing more life to our Ukrainian heritage community. It is important that we do what we can to support them. I feel a great sense of pride in the many contributions of this community that many of us feel very passionately about, 1.3 million people of Ukrainian heritage, and many more of non-Ukrainian heritage, who contribute to making Canada what it is today. Recognizing September as a month to celebrate and recognize Ukrainian contributions is, I think, a very strong, positive thing we can do. It would provide many opportunities to recognize the community and would say to schools, to people in the workforce and to our employers that in Ottawa, in the House of Commons, we designate the month of September as an opportunity to show love for and to cherish the many contributions of our Ukrainian heritage community here in Canada. I have found that the more we recognize the rich heritage that makes up Canadian heritage, and the more we celebrate it and promote it, the better we are as a nation. That is why I am pleased to stand today and support what the member for Etobicoke Centre has brought before the House. It would make a difference in recognizing our diversity and honouring the past, today and into the future. It is of great value for every Canadian when we do things of this nature. I thank all those who were involved in making today possible, and having this bill. Slava Ukraini.”

“I want the House to pass this bill to make September Ukrainian Heritage Month. It honors Ukrainian Canadians who have helped build this country for 135 years. It is also important to show support for Ukraine right now as it defends itself against Russia.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise to speak to Bill S-210, which, if passed, would declare September Ukrainian heritage month in Canada. I would like to start by thanking the sponsor of this bill in the Senate, former Senator Kutcher. I would like to thank all colleagues for their thoughtful remarks and their support for this bill, but also their support for Ukraine at this critical time. The first Ukrainian immigrants arrived in Canada on September 7, 1891. Since then, generations upon generations of immigrants from Ukraine have arrived in Canada. Many of them were fleeing oppression and seeking a better life. They found that life here in Canada. Canadians have supported them, and Ukrainian Canadians have made great contributions to Canada. Those contributions span our economic, political, cultural and social life. Watching this debate at home today are leaders and members of the Ukrainian Canadian community. Some of them are immigrants to Canada from Ukraine. Some of them are children and grandchildren of immigrants to Canada from Ukraine. My mother and my grandparents were immigrants to Canada from Ukraine. My grandparents, Ivan and Olena, came to Canada fleeing oppression and seeking a better life, like so many people who have come to Canada from Ukraine over the past 135 years. My grandparents were incredibly proud of their Ukrainian heritage, but they were also incredibly proud to be Canadian. In fact, I have said many times, and some of the members have heard me say, that my grandparents were among the proudest Canadians I have ever known. To ensure that I learned about my Ukrainian heritage, my grandparents and my parents insisted that I attend Saturday school every week, where we would learn the Ukrainian language, heritage, culture, etc. Every Saturday, after Saturday school, my grandfather would pick me up, we would go for lunch and then he would sit down with me and help me with my Saturday school homework for the following week. When I was a teenager and when I was a kid, I was not all that fond of Saturday school, and I was not fond of doing homework on Saturdays either. One day, I was really frustrated. I was struggling with what we were working on. I said to my grandfather, “Dido”, as I called him, “I do not want to do this anymore. I want to stop.” He said I could not stop, and he told me why. He said he was incredibly proud of his heritage, and he thought if I learned more, I would be too. He said he wanted me to learn about the history of the Ukrainian people because so many of them came here to Canada. They came before I did. They came before he did, and they helped make this country great. He wanted me to learn about the people who made Canada great. That is one of the three reasons why I think it is so important that we adopt this bill today. The first reason is just that. It would be a national acknowledgement of people whose contributions have shaped Canada for 135 years, as my colleagues have spoken to. Through this bill, Parliament would be recognizing these contributions. The second reason is that it is an opportunity to celebrate Ukrainian heritage, which I know we have all experienced in our communities. Some of the members have spoken to that very experience. It is important to honour that as well. The third reason is that since 1891, Ukrainian Canadians have come to Canada, and for 135 years, Canadians have supported them. Through this bill, Parliament would be recognizing Canadians. It would be recognizing the support Canadians have offered to that community and the support Canadians have offered to Ukraine, which go on to this very day. I would argue that there is no more important time to pass this bill than now. For the past four years, Ukrainians have been defending themselves against Russia’s brutal invasion, and Canada has been a global leader in supporting the Ukrainian people in that fight. We do that not just because it is the right thing to do but because it is the right thing for Canada. This is because Ukraine’s victory is vital to Canada’s security. If Russia wins, it is not going to stop at Ukraine. We know this because Vladimir Putin has told us so. Vladimir Putin, right now, is showing us so. If Russia succeeds, NATO will be next. That means Americans, Europeans and Canadians will be next, defending ourselves against Russian aggression. We can either pay a small price now to help Ukraine win or we can pay a much bigger price later in Canadian dollars and in Canadian lives. Our government understands this, and that is one of the reasons why Canada has been a global leader in supporting Ukraine since 2022, with over $26 billion in support. That is military support, sanctions, financial aid and much more. In June, when meeting with President Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Mark Carney said—”

“Canada must support Ukraine until it wins the war. I am proud of what Ukrainian Canadians have done for our country, and I am proud of our Ukrainian heritage.”

“I apologize, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister said, with President Zelenskyy present, “The tide is turning as expected in this war.... Ukraine will win. It’s just a question of time.” We must support the Ukrainian people until they win, because Ukraine’s victory is not only vital to Ukraine but the only option for Canada as well. Ukraine’s most prolific poet, Taras Shevchenko, once famously said, [Member spoke in Ukrainian] [English] Translated, this means, teach, read and learn from others, but always be proud of that which is your own. Today, I feel the way I think my grandparents would feel, the way the people watching at home would feel, the way their parents and grandparents would feel and the way generations of immigrants would feel if they were here today. I am proud of the contributions Ukrainian Canadians have made to Canada, proud of their Ukrainian heritage and proud to be Canadian.”

“I am asking everyone to agree to end this debate now and move on to government business.”

“Mr. Speaker, rising on a point of order, I suspect that if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent to call it 6:30 p.m. so we could move on to government business.”