By Matthew Clark
Wilfred Laurier was Prime Minister of Canada from 1896-1911. During that 15 year period of governance he made settlement of Western Canada, particularly the Prairies (what other nations refer to as the Great Plains) a major plank of his administration. To achieve that goal Laurier put his trust in a politician named Clifford Sifton, a man who thought "outside the box, " to use a modern idiom. Sifton, as Minister of the Interior, realized Canada could no longer strictly rely on immigration from Britain or Western Europe to populate the nation's vast open spaces. So he sent agents out into Eastern Europe with the aim of recruiting men in "sheepskin coats" along with their families, to migrate to Canada.
Sifton's strategy was a successful one as his agents convinced tens of thousands of peasants to sink new roots in North America. This was particularly true of Ukrainians. In 1901 there were 5,682 Ukrainian Canadians according to the national census. By 1911 (census) that number had increased to 75,432 people. Most of these individuals were domiciled on the Canadian Prairie.
These original pioneers have contributed greatly to the well known Western Canadian vitality. That Western vitality has, in turn, added much substance to Canada as a whole. Therefore the Ukrainian community within Canada can claim with both pride and accuracy that they have made a substantial contribution to their country's history. All Canadians should be pleased that their nation has enjoyed the benefits brought to them by the Ukrainian community.
That should be the limits of our pleasure vis-a-vis the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada! Canada has given much back to Ukrainians, indeed to all groups who chose to settle in the Dominion. Prosperity, individual freedom, quality of life, have been offered to almost anyone who made this country their home. Settling in Canada has been a reciprical arrangement of mutual reward between citizen and nation.
Ukrainina Canadians are owed nothing beyond that which is enjoyed by any other Canadian citizen. Very few, if any Canadians of any background would dispute this claim. Nevertheless it is important to point this out before jumping into the next statement.
Canadians owe nothing to Ukraine! Ukraine is a nation thousands of miles away from any point in the Great White North. It is of absolutely no vital interest to Canadians! Trade between the two nations in 2023 stood at a paltry $695 million (reference Global Affairs Canada). These figures are dubois on the high side, as most of the materials involved are military, which therefore calls for speculation whether the Ukrainians will actually pay for what they purchased. In terms of civic life Ukraine is famous for corruption, along with a wide authoritarian streak. While the Federal Canadian Trudeau/ Singh Alliance government possesses little virtue it is still morally way above the loathesome pathology endemic to the Kiev regime.
Little trade, no common values, no shared vital interests: So why would Canadians be asked to side with Ukraine in her military conflict with Russia? Why oppose Russia which does have vital interests in Ukraine? Ukraine has been the conduit to invading Russia for centuries. Hitler, the Kaisar, Napleon, Charles of Sweden, all have invaded the Great country via Ukraine, resulting in the loss of tens of millions of Russian lives! Why would Canadians side against Russia which has been a dedicated ally of our land through three Global conflicts (Napleonic Wars, WWI, WWII). Why would Canadians side against Russia whose government follows a general pattern of the rule of law, as opposed to Kiev which has suspended all political parties who oppose the Zelensky regime, has suspended all general elections, and has extended the Presidents term beyond the Constitutional mandate?
With the recent approval by NATO nations to allow the Kiev junta to send long range missiles into Russia the chance for war between Russia and the NATO nations has increased dramatically. Canada as part of the NATO Empire would be required to participate in a lethal exercise against a people she has no real quarrel with, all to defend a country of no importance to her citizens. Canadians would be wise to give this situation a lot of critical thought before bestowing on the Trudeau/Singh Alliance administration the green light to conduct war. Indeed it can be argued a wiser decision is to switch the colour of that light to a dark red!
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