Ukraina-Kanada 120: Groundbreakers, Nation-Builders, Trailblazers

            The village Nebyliv in Western Ukraine was the starting point of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. It was from here that in 1891 Ivan Pylypiw and Wasyl Eleniak left for Canada to verify for themselves the attractive stories about vilni zemli, or free lands, in North America. However, their footprints were not the first Ukrainian footprints to leave a mark on this continent. Although there are no known documents, it is thought that Nebyliv peasants were preceded by isolated individuals who came to Canada at the beginning of 19^th century. It is a historical fact that Eleniak and Pylypiw were preceded by the seeds of the Red Fife wheat, also known as Halychanka wheat (http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1181224838769&lang=eng).

Pylypiw’s and Eleniak’s impressions, and later the work of Canadian government agents, gave rise to a movement that now is called the first wave of Ukrainian immigrants, who at that time were known as Ruthenians. They were predominantly poor peasants from the provinces of Halychyna and Bukovyna in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, most of whom settled in the Prairie provinces. These immigrants were often sent to forested places that required a lot of physically strenuous labour in order to have these vilni zemli supply them with basic subsistence. With only the most basic tools, they cut down the trees that spanned these forests in order to prepare the land for cultivation. They often lived in zemlyankas, shelters dug in the soil, which fulfilled only their basic necessity for shelter. Unfortunately in the harsh reality of the Canadian winters, many perished, especially children, from the cold and sickness.

Yet, this first wave survived. More so than just the bare minimal of survival – as soon as there was a roof over their heads, Ukrainians (Ruthenians) began to tend to the intellectual and spiritual needs of their newly formed community. They built churches, schools, opened reading halls (chytalni); in 1903 in Winnipeg, the first Ukrainian newspaper was published (Kanadiis’kyj Farmer). Ukrainians had begun to integrate within the political life and social culture of their chosen country.

However, during the First World War almost six thousand people in sheepskin coats, as these mostly agricultural peasants were called, found themselves behind barbed wires in 24 internment camps located across Canada. The Ruthenians, along with other immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, were considered enemy aliens. Immigration had come to an end at that time.

            It wasn’t until the interwar period that the second wave of Ukrainian immigrants came to Canada. They were considered economic immigrants as they were better educated and financially more stable than their predecessors had been. Again, Halychyna and Bukovyna were the main sources from which this wave of immigrants came from. This wave of immigration brought considerably fewer Ukrainians to Canada in comparison to the first wave.

After WWII, Canada became the favoured destination for many Ukrainians who were displaced by the war. The third wave arrived between 1947 and 1954 and consisted mostly of well educated people and intellectuals who after the war had found themselves in refugee camps in Germany and Austria. They settled mostly in urban areas of eastern Canada.

There is  now a new class of financially independent immigrants that calls itself the fourth wave. They began arriving in Canada after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 from mainly Central and Eastern Ukraine and are still immigrating today.

The 120 year history of Ukrainian settlement in Canada is rich in great hardships and considerable achievements. Today, well over one million Canadians claim to have Ukrainian roots. Ruthenians did not “melt” into a mostly English Canadian pot, but instead preserved their language, culture, and identity. Although their love for their homeland stems deep, Ukrainian Canadians have developed a strong attachment to the country that provided them with abundant opportunities. In return, their personal history and contribution have shaped this country as much as Canada has shaped them.  They were instrumental in formulating many of Canada’s key values such as multiculturalism, and leading the Canadian nation in politics, sports, culture, academia and business. For 120 years (100 of which were in isolation from our ancestral homeland) Ukrainian Canadians have maintained a vibrant and distinctive community built around their religion, culture, values, commitment to civil society, respect for others and a desire to see an independent and prosperous Ukrainian nation. They will continue to flourish and play a leadership role in defining Canadian society, for as long as these principles carry on.