More than 125 years ago, Ukrainians answered the call of a young country named Canada, and so arrived the first of numerous waves of resourceful, courageous immigrants in search of freedom and prosperity. Through subsequent waves of immigration, Ukrainians continued to come to Canada and today 1.4 million Ukrainians call Canada home.

The post-WWII wave of Ukrainian immigrants – political refugees and Displaced Persons who fled Soviet occupation – bravely sought a better life in Canada. Among them were those who either supported or were active in the Ukrainian liberation movement, most of whom had been victims of Nazi and Soviet repression. They were highly motivated political immigrants fresh from the resistance frontlines of Ukraine.

Their impact on Canadian society was felt almost immediately in cultural, political and religious life – renewing and strengthening the bond with their homeland, and exposing the already established Ukrainian-Canadian community directly to the new historical and political realities enveloping Ukraine. Against this historical and political background, a large number of Ukrainian newcomers to Canada considered it their life-long duty to maintain an awareness of their nation’s struggle for independence. As a result, the Canadian League for the Liberation of Ukraine was established in 1949 and the Women’s Association of the Canadian League for the Liberation of Ukraine was established in 1955. 

The League’s community-oriented activities were intended to preserve and qualitatively raise the level of Ukrainian consciousness among its membership and within the community in general. Publishing became a key aspect of the League’s activities. Most significantly, its membership founded a weekly community newspaper, called Homin Ukrainy (Ukrainian Echo) in 1948.

The League’s main focus, however, was on the promotion of national independence for Ukraine and human rights for the Ukrainian people, while advancing the interests of the Ukrainian-Canadian community within the framework of multiculturalism in Canada. Public actions included rallies, demonstrations, political mass meetings, seminars, conferences, public lectures, petitions, and mass mailings against the Soviet Union.

In 1991, the League for the Liberation of Ukraine began a new mission.  With the proclamation of an independent Ukraine, the focus shifted to building a strong, democratic, economically stable, independent Ukraine, focusing on Canadian-Ukrainian relations, trade, economic development, and democratic reform. The League for the Liberation of Ukraine changed its name to the League of Ukrainian Canadians and the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women.

As the Kremlin’s policies of repression continue to crush Ukraine’s struggle for independence and prosperity, the League of Ukrainian Canadians and the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women relentlessly continue to speak up in defense of human rights and Ukraine’s right to freedom, honour, dignity, and sovereignty.