Mr. Speaker, it is a great opportunity for me to rise to speak to Bill S-210.
I just want to commend all the speakers today, particularly the last speaker, my colleague from Chatham-Kent—Leamington. I love history, and hearing the stories of people's families, where they have come from and the challenges they have overcome is always an inspiration to me. I thank the member for sharing. I know that many members of the House who are of Ukrainian heritage, or of that region, have shared stories of the hardships their families endured to come here and make Canada their home and to build a life for themselves and the generations after them in our great country. I must say, I am inspired by that.
What the legislation is seeking to do is to honour the contributions of over 1.3 million Canadians who have Ukrainian heritage, including many of my friends. My stepfather is also a man of Ukrainian heritage, and I am proud to represent thousands of people of Ukrainian heritage in my constituency, Parkland, just outside Edmonton.
The story of Ukrainian Canadians is inseparable from the story of western Canada and, particularly, Alberta. When the first Ukrainian settlers arrived in what is now Alberta in 1892, they came seeking freedom and opportunity to build a better life for their families. The Prairies were a vast, isolated region, largely undeveloped, yet through determination and hard work, these Ukrainian settlers transformed the landscape and turned western Canada into the developed agricultural region that it is today.
Ukrainian settlers in Alberta, in particular, established farms. They built churches, opened businesses and created communities. These communities quickly became hubs for agricultural knowledge; cultural traditions such as language, music and dance; and a strong sense of community. Their contributions formed economic and social foundations for western Canada. Some of the earliest Ukrainian settlements in Canada were established just east of what is now my constituency, Parkland, and these communities still stand today.
I want to talk about the service that Ukrainian Canadians have given to their adopted country, Canada. During the First World War, many Ukrainian Canadians demonstrated great loyalty to Canada by volunteering to serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Thousands answered the call to defend the country they had chosen as their home, including Ukrainian Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest medal of valour in the British Empire, Filip Konowal, who was also a member of the Governor General's Foot Guards, which is a regiment I serve in today.
At the same time, though, there is a tragic history. Many thousands of Ukrainians who had immigrated to Canada were classified as enemy aliens by the federal government. Ukraine was not a country at that time. It was under the control of either Russia or Austria-Hungary. Austria-Hungary was a member of the Central Powers, so many Ukrainians, unfortunately, were lumped in with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which we were at war with, and thus were interned in camps across Canada. They were forced to perform labour under very difficult conditions. Many were sent to very remote locations, including areas that would become part of Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.
I think it is important that, when we pass bills such as the one that is before us, we recognize the great sacrifices that Ukrainians made, not only in standing up for our country of Canada but also the sacrifices of the Ukrainians who were put through deprivations by the government at that time.
The loyalty of Ukrainian Canadians was demonstrated further during the Second World War. I just recently learned this in my research for the bill. Ukrainian Canadians enlisted in the Canadian military at the highest rate of any demographic other than English Canadians or French Canadians. They served with distinction in every branch of the armed forces. They fought tyranny overseas, and they fought to secure the freedoms we continue to enjoy today.
Ukrainians have a very real experience with oppression, knowing what their ancestors faced under the Russian Empire, under Austria-Hungary and under the Soviets, and they understood the value of liberty in a way that many people could take for granted. Those Ukrainian Canadians knew exactly what they were fighting for.
Since the arrival of the first Ukrainians in Canada over 135 years ago, they have enriched our country in countless ways. They have contributed to agriculture, business, science, education, public service and art across Canada and, might I say, they produced some of the best hockey players we have ever seen in Canadian history. They have preserved and shared their vibrant culture, including the Vyshyvanka, which continues to thrive across Canada. Ukrainian festivals and heritage celebrations are some of the most wonderful events that people can attend in this country.
In my own constituency, we have an organization of Ukrainian dancers who play an important role in preserving and sharing Ukrainian traditions. Since 1983, they have connected countless young Canadians with their heritage through dance, music and cultural education while also recognizing and welcoming those who want to learn more about Ukrainian culture. These organizations have been critical in recent years, as we have seen many Ukrainian war refugees coming to Canada. It is always really interesting to see how people who have been in Canada for over 100 years are connecting with Ukrainians who are just coming to Canada today, in the things that they are learning about each other and the traditions that they are reviving together. These organizations are doing more than just preserving traditions. They are building bridges.
My home province of Alberta is home to many significant symbols of Ukrainian heritage. The giants of the Prairies, for one, are icons of Ukrainian heritage. This includes the world's largest perogy, as well as Canada's largest Easter egg. The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, which is just 30 minutes east of Edmonton, captures the early pioneering spirit of Ukrainian Canadians. This is an open-air museum and it hosts authentically restored buildings from across the Prairies. It is host to many school programs that provide generations of Albertans with a closer understanding of Ukrainian settlement in Alberta. The Ukrainian village suffered a devastating fire back in April 2025, but I want everyone in this House and across Canada to know that the village has finally reopened this year, as of May 16, for visitors. If they do have the chance, I highly encourage visiting this.
The influence of Ukrainian Canadians is found not only in the west. It is found right here in Ottawa, where the St. Onuphrius Ukrainian Catholic Church has been preserved at the Canadian Museum of History. The original prairies church is still an active parish and provides visitors to the museum a glimpse of the faith that remains the strongest among Ukrainian Canadians today.
Canada has also hosted a number of firsts for the Ukrainian community, with one of the most important being the erection of the first monument to the Holodomor. This was completed in Edmonton in 1983 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this famine genocide. We know in this House and across the world that between 1932 and 1933, millions of Ukrainians were deliberately starved to death by the Soviet Union. This is not natural in any way. This was not the result of a drought or a failed harvest. It was a man-made famine designed to crush the Ukrainian people. For decades, Soviet authorities sought to suppress the knowledge of these atrocities, but the truth has prevailed through the witness testimony of survivors and through the determination of Ukrainian Canadians who have sought justice and have sought to preserve the memory of those lost. Long before the world recognized the Holodomor, members of the Canadian Ukrainian community were fighting to ensure that this crime against humanity would never be forgotten.
Conservatives are proud of our long record of standing beside Ukraine and the Ukrainian community within Canada. In fact, Canada was one of the first countries to recognize Ukrainian independence from the Soviets, and Canada became the first western nation to formally recognize Ukraine's independence. In 2008, I was proud that Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially recognized the Holodomor as a genocide. This recognition honoured the memory of those victims. Further, in 2014, when the Russians illegally annexed Crimea, it was Conservatives who stood up under Stephen Harper and delivered a clear message to Vladimir Putin that Russia must respect Ukrainian sovereignty. Once again, I am very proud to speak in favour of this legislation.