March 14, 2023. OTTAWA, ON. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is calling on the Government of Canada to address the rising tide of anti-Ukrainian hate and violence targeting the Ukrainian Canadian community.
“Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine a year ago, our community has faced a pronounced increase of anti-Ukrainian hate, attacks and violence,” stated Alexandra Chyczij, National President of the UCC. “The UCC is launching a Community Safety Awareness Program and calls upon the Government of Canada to address this rising tide of hate and to take action to protect our community.”
The UCC has recorded over two dozen hate-motivated incidents targeting our community and supporters of Ukraine since February 2022. It is likely that other incidents have gone unreported because of the lack of any response from the Government of Canada.
Purveyors of anti-Ukrainian hate operate with impunity when the Government fails to decry such behaviour, when it allows supporters of those who seek to destroy the Ukrainian nation, like Ovechkin, to pursue their commercial interest by playing hockey in Canada, and when it refuses to expel the representatives of a regime that has broken international laws, commits war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Ukrainian people.
The UCC leadership met several times with the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety, to discuss the targeting to which our community has been subjected. A briefing note presented to Minister Mendicino is available here:
UCC Briefing Note to the Minister of Public Safety –
The Rising Tide of Anti-Ukrainian Hate and Violence in Canada
The UCC calls on the Government of Canada to:
- Issue a public statement unequivocally condemning the rising pattern of hate-motivated attacks against the Ukrainian Canadian community and supporters of Ukraine;
- Develop and deliver programs to educate the public and counter disinformation that incites hatred against Ukrainians;
- Develop and deliver programs of media literacy as part of a national core curriculum starting in pre-school, similar to the program developed in Finland;
- Educate the Canadian public to identify state sponsored propaganda and online information that is intended to mislead;
- Renew and reinstate the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) that provided federal funding for enhancing the security of community buildings and places of worship;
- Expel diplomats of the Russian Federation and others, including agents of foreign interference who foment, orchestrate and finance campaigns of hatred against Ukrainians;
- Prevent entry into Canada of supporters of Vladimir Putin and his genocidal regime who embolden those who would foment hatred against Ukrainians;
- Introduce legislation that establishes a Foreign Agent Registry.
