The event commemorated Canada’s fallen and veterans, as well as all Canadians of Ukrainian descent who served and contributed to Canada’s military forces and the defense and security of Canada. Some 10,000 Canadians of Ukrainian descent took part in World War I and over 35,000 served in the Canadian military during World War II.
The ceremony commenced with a procession from St. Demetrius Ukrainian Catholic Church to the cenotaph at Canadian Ukrainian Memorial Park. The Orion Male Choir together with the Vanguard Band performed powerful renditions of the Ukrainian lament “Plyve Kacha” and “The Proud Canadian Soldier” with soloist Gregory Yasinsky.
This year’s Remembrance Day ceremony marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme in World War I, where the creeping artillery barrage and tanks were employed for the first time with brutal efficiency. Fighting raged for over four months and resulted in over a million casualties to Allied and German troops.
We must also support and applaud those who serve today, preserving freedom and opposing tyranny at every turn, Andre Sochaniwsky CD, president of the Ukrainian War Veterans Association of Canada and a former officer of the Canadian forces, said. “We have witnessed the erosion of the rights of the Crimean Tatars and the increased violence against them with the Russian occupation of Crimea… and the continuing attacks by Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Today, Canadian Forces have deployed personnel in Central and Eastern Europe as part of NATO assurance measures. Canadian troops have also been deployed in Ukraine under Operation UNIFIER to mentor Ukrainian forces. Over 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died or been injured in the still ongoing battles in defense of Ukraine,” he stated. “In Iraq and Syria, we have witnessed the violent and grotesque onslaught of ISIS with its complete disregard for life and any norms of civil behavior… Canadian and coalition forces continue to degrade ISIS.”
This year’s event was attended by Capt. Vladimir V. Zaharchenko from Ukraine’s naval forces, who endured numerous harrowing weeks in Sevastopol, Crimea, while the city and the entire peninsula were annexed by Russian military forces starting in February 2014. He witnessed firsthand the destructive actions of occupying Russian forces.
Mykola Swarnyk
The Toronto branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress held its annual Remembrance Day Ceremony with ceremonial wreath-laying at the cenotaph at Canadian Ukrainian Memorial Park.
The event concluded with a ceremonial wreath-laying at the monument by government representatives and those from various Ukrainian organizations, including wreaths from: the government of Canada, represented by Borys Wrzesnewskyj, member of Parliament for Etobicoke Center; the Ukrainian people and its government, represented by the Consul General of Ukraine in Toronto Andrii Veselovskyi and Consul Liudmyla Nedilska; the government of Ontario, represented by Yvan Baker, member of Provincial Parliament for Etobicoke Center; the city of Toronto, Ward 4 (Etobicoke Center), represented by Councilor John Campbell; the Canadian Armed Forces, represented by veteran Armin Kohn and Lt.-Col. Zenon Myshkevich, among many others. In the end, over 30 beautiful wreaths graced the monument.
In his closing remarks, the president of the UCC’s Toronto branch, Taras Bahriy, spoke of the importance of honoring the lives and contributions not only of those soldiers who fought for our freedom in past wars, but also of those who are giving their lives today for their country, Ukraine.