Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise in the House today to speak to Bill S-210. This legislation, if passed, would declare September of every year Ukrainian heritage month across Canada.
I would like to begin by thanking the members who just spoke for sharing their stories. I thank them for supporting this bill. There were members from Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia. I thank them.
The first Ukrainian immigrants to Canada arrived on September 7, 1891, and Ukrainian Canadians have since then helped to make Canada the great country that it is today. Those contributions span our economic, political, social and cultural life. That is why I was so proud in the last three parliaments to introduce a bill that would declare September Ukrainian heritage month, and that is why I am so proud to sponsor this bill in the House today.
Many Canadians are watching this debate at home. Some of them are immigrants to Canada from Ukraine. Some of them are the 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 after World War II, fleeing oppression and seeking a better life, like so many people who have come to Canada over the years from all around the world. They were incredibly proud of their Ukrainian heritage, but they were also incredibly proud to be Canadian. In fact, I have said this many times, and some members have heard me say it, 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 I attend Saturday school, where we would learn the Ukrainian language, history, traditions and more. Every Saturday, after Saturday school, my grandfather would pick me up. We would have lunch together, and then he would help me with my Saturday school homework for the following week.
Members can imagine that when I was a teenager, when I was a kid, I was not so fond of Saturday school. I was not so fond of doing homework on Saturday afternoons either. One day I was very frustrated, I was struggling, and I said to my grandfather, whom I called Dido, “Dido, I don't want to do this anymore. I want to stop.”
He said to me, “Yvan, you cannot stop. Let me tell you why. I'm very proud of my heritage, and I think if you learn more, you will be too.” Then he said, “I want you to learn about the Ukrainian people because so many of them came here to Canada. They came before you did, they came before I did, and they helped to make this country great. I want you to learn about the people who made Canada great.”
For 135 years, Canadians of Ukrainian descent have left a historic mark on our country. Their contributions span communities across Ontario and every riding represented here in the House of Commons. Most recently, since 2022, Canadians have generously welcomed approximately 200,000 Ukrainians to Canada who were fleeing the war in Ukraine. Those immigrants to Canada from Ukraine have worked very hard. They have contributed to our communities. They are filling jobs that in many cases cannot be filled by Canadians, and they are making important contributions to Canada. Through the bill before us, Parliament would recognize these contributions over those 135 years.
Ukrainian Canadians have contributed to Canada, but Canada has also supported Ukrainian Canadians. Canada was the first western country to recognize Ukraine's independence in 1991 and was among the first countries to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide. Our government has been a global leader in supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia's brutal invasion.
To me, there are two key reasons we support the people of Ukraine right now. The first is, of course, because it is the right thing to do. It is the moral thing to do. Ukrainians are defending themselves against a brutal invasion and war crimes every day. The second reason is that it is the right thing for Canada. Ukraine's victory is vital to Canada's security. If Russia wins, it will not stop at Ukraine. We know this because Vladimir Putin has told us so. If Russia wins, if Russia prevails in Ukraine, then Canadians, Americans and Europeans will be next in defending ourselves against Russian aggression, whether that is in Europe, in the Canadian Arctic or somewhere else in the world. That is why Canada is a global leader in supporting Ukraine, and that is why it has never been more important to pass a Ukrainian heritage month bill than it is today.
Ukraine's most prolific poet, Taras Shevchenko, once famously said:
[Member spoke in Ukrainian and provided the following translation:]
Teach, read and learn from others, but be proud of that which is your own.
[English]
Today I feel the way the people at home feel, the way my parents and grandparents would feel if they were here today, the way generations of Ukrainians who came to Canada would feel if they were here today: proud of their Ukrainian heritage, proud of the contributions Ukrainian Canadians have made to Canada and proud to be Canadian.