OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) on July 13 congratulated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada on his historic visit to Ukraine, which took place on July 10-12, and welcomed the announcement of additional Canadian support for Ukraine.
Prime Minister Trudeau was accompanied by Canada’s Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland, Member of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj (chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group) and a delegation of community leaders from the UCC led by UCC National President Paul Grod.
The UCC delegation comprised: Renata Roman (UCC national vice-president); Zenon Potichnyj (president, Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce); Olena Koszarny (chair, UCC Ukraine Advisory Council); Jaroslaw Balan (chair, UCC Canada Ukraine Committee); Marc Shwec (chair, Euromaidan Canada); Alexandra Chyczij (Ukrainian Canadian Bar Association); Cassian Soltykevych (president, Ukrainian Canadian Students Union); Gerald Luciuk (chair, Saskatchewan-Ukraine Advisory Committee); Oksana Bondarchuk (president, UCC Manitoba Provincial Council) and Orest Gawdyda (president, UCC Regina).
On July 11, Prime Minister Trudeau, accompanied by Minister Freeland, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj and the UCC delegation visited the Babyn Yar Monument, the Park of Eternal Glory and the Holodomor Monument and Holodomor Commemoration Museum.
The prime minister was then officially welcomed by Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko, with whom he held a bilateral meeting and press conference. Prime Minister Trudeau, President Poroshenko and Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman of Ukraine participated in the signing of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement by Minister Freeland and Ukraine’s First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade Stepan Kubiv.
Mr. Trudeau also met with Prime Minister Groysman and Verkhovna Rada Chair Andriy Parubiy.
Prime Minister Trudeau stated, “My first official visit to Ukraine has confirmed to me that Canada and Ukraine not only share deep historical ties, but that we are united in our desire for a better future. This free trade agreement, and indeed everything we have accomplished during this visit, will allow Canadians and Ukrainians to prosper together.”
Following his meeting with the Canadian prime minister, President Poroshenko stated, “Canada is not just a special partner, but also a true friend that will not leave Ukraine in a difficult situation.”
Prime Minister Trudeau also visited the Maidan, where he laid flowers honoring the Heavenly Brigade, and led a roundtable discussion with Ukrainian civil society and reform leaders.
During his visit, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that Canada would: provide $13 million in humanitarian assistance to support the humanitarian needs of the conflict-affected population in eastern Ukraine; deploy additional Canadian monitors to the Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; and deploy additional Canadian police to Ukraine, focusing on training and institutional development, to consolidate and support the next phases of Ukraine’s police reform.
On July 12, Prime Minister Trudeau, Minister Freeland, MP Wrzesnewskyj and the UCC delegation visited the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in Yavoriv, Lviv region, where they met with Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel who are providing training to Ukrainian forces as part of Operation UNIFIER.
Addressing the CAF personnel, Mr. Trudeau stated, “The reason we’re here supporting Ukraine is not just because Ukraine is a good friend to Canada and the Ukrainian people are good friends to us. It’s because the values, the principles that they’re fighting for are the values and principles that we stand for and that we fight for.”
UCC National President Grod commented: “Prime Minister Trudeau’s visit to Ukraine opens a new chapter in Canada-Ukraine relations, rooted in a historically special relationship based on cultural, political and people to people connections. Looking forward, this bond will grow even stronger with mutually beneficial economic relations. This visit is particularly timely as it underscores Canada’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity at a time when the people of Ukraine are bravely defending their country against Russia’s invasion and ongoing military aggression. Our visit reconfirms that Ukraine will always be able to count on the people and government of Canada.”