This webinar consisted of a slide presentation and discussion of the general contours of Ukrainian Canadian history focusing upon how this section of the Canadian population influenced the national policies of Canada towards various European states, but most especially towards the USSR and its treatment of the “Ukrainian Question” in the Soviet Union itself. The presentation began with a description of early Galician and Ruthenian immigration to the Dominion of Canada within the British Empire and the question of identity formation among the new immigrants, proceeding quickly through the interwar period and Second World War and then focusesing upon the Cold War era. The differing policies of prime ministers Louis Saint Laurent, John G. Diefenbaker, and Pierre Trudeau were all analyzed and their relations with the Ukrainians described. The discussion concluded with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Canada’s timely recognition of Ukrainian independence in 1991.

THOMAS M. PRYMAK, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow with the Chair of Ukrainian Studies in the Departments of History and Political Science at the University of Toronto. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he is the award-winning author of several books and numerous articles and reviews on Ukrainian and Ukrainian Canadian political and cultural history, art history, language, name studies, and ethnography.

A video recording of the Webinar presentations can be found here. We also have a recording of the Introductory and Q&A segments from that evening.

© Thomas M. Prymak PhD 2025. All rights reserved. No images or content from this presentation may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the presenters. Access to these recordings is solely for educational and informational purposes.