I would also like to add my voice in supporting the Ukraine in its uphill fight against the current aggression, and my wishes for the personal safety of many friends I have made in this community some of whom may be in the Ukraine at this very moment.
I am not of Ukrainian descent myself, but am 3rd generation Polish Canadian - my grandparents emigrated from Poland to Canada early in the 20th century. My mothers parents were from small Polish villages near the Ukrainian border, and I remember them speaking both Polish and Ukrainian fluently to friends, as I was growing up in the North End of Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba, in Canada.
The North End has been a melting pot of immigrants from all nations throughout history, but growing up in the 1960's and 1970's, it included a sizable Ukrainian population, fiercely proud of their or their families native country, its heritage and culture. In a country with a bilingual culture and history (English and French), it was indicative in Junior High School that we had a choice in the North End of learning one of two additional languages taught in our schools, in addition to English .......... either French ........ or Ukrainian, which I believe is unique in the entire of Canada.
But that illustrates just how important Ukrainians and Ukraine were and are to the fabric of especially Western Canada.
To this day, people of Ukrainian descent represent roughly 14.5% (180,000) of people in the entire of Manitoba. Having moved 30 years ago to the province of Alberta, it represents 9.3% (389,000) of people in this province, the largest single concentration of people of Ukrainian descent in the entire of Canada. My wife's first husband was of Ukrainian descent, of a family of 13, and I have many friends of Ukrainian descent, in addition to us, who are all contributing as we can to easing the suffering that is occurring there.
Our thoughts and prayers, in addition to our physical, emotional and spiritual support are with all Ukrainians at yet another tipping point in the history of the world.
Mark and Anne