Ukrainian History in Canada
Ukrainians first came to Canada in the 19th century. The initial influx came as the Canadian government promoted the immigration of farmers. During the First World War, thousands of Ukrainian Canadians were imprisoned as enemy aliens due to their origins in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
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Ukrainian Canadians
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Ukrainian Internment in Canada
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Michael Luchkovich
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Laurence Decore
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Timelines
Ukrainian Canadian History and Settlement
This timeline tells the story of how Canada became home to the second-largest Ukrainian diaspora in the world, behind Russia. Starting in 1896, a federal program sought to settle the Prairies with Eastern European farmers by promoting Canada as the “Last Best West.” Immigration skyrocketed, primarily from the Austro-Hungarian provinces of Bukovyna and Galicia. By 1931, Ukrainian Canadians comprised 2.2 per cent of Canada’s population. Today, there are roughly 1.36 million Ukrainian Canadians, comprising nearly 4 per cent of the population and making them the largest Slavic group in Canada.