RELATIONS BETWEEN THE NATIONAL DIASPORA IN CANADA AND UKRAINE (1991–2014)

Abstract

The article illustrates the relations between the national diaspora in Canada and Ukraine during 1991–2014. It is emphasized that during the long-term presence of Ukrainians in the cities of Canada the Ukrainian diaspora has been growing and consolidating around the civic organizations and Ukrainian cultural centers with the biggest ones being located in Ontario and Alberta, which are the places with the largest Ukrainian population. It provides the analysis of influence of the Ukrainian diaspora on the cooperation between Ukraine and Canada through civic organizations, the most influential of which are the following: Ukrainian Canadian Congress — acts as the representative of the Ukrainian diaspora before the government and people of Canada, coordinates and promotes its involvement in the cultural and public life of the country, and unites 33 Ukrainian and all-Canadian organizations and their branches; Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada — supports the religious education and Ukrainian publishing houses, arranges religious seminars on the study of Bible, Ukrainian rituals and traditions; Plast — promotes the complex patriotic self-education of the Ukrainian youth based on the Christian ethics principles, as the conscientious, responsible and meaningful citizens of the local, national and global communities and the Ukrainian society leaders; they also hold the leading positions in the civic organizations — in student’s clubs or in the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. At the same time, in Ukraine the civic organizations, such as the “Ukraine-Svit” company and Ukrainian World Coordinating Council cooperate with the national diaspora in Canada. It is emphasized that the intensification of relations between the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and Ukraine is the key component of the modern national ethnical policy. It is concluded that the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada created the positive image of Ukraine abroad that contributed to the recognition of its independence in 1991 and further establishment of connections between the countries. The article substantiates the perspectives for bilateral cooperation of countries in the field of politics, economics, trade, culture and education.