Alberta Provincial Council President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Orysia Boychuk speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the Ukraine-Russia war reaching its third anniversary.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Michael Higgins: The fact that this war has now entered into its fourth year, how is that impacting the resolve of displaced Ukrainians now calling our province home?
Orysia Boychuk: It truly is hard to believe that we’re moving into our fourth year. It really was not anything that anybody anticipated. We have approximately 65,000 that have arrived in Alberta at some point over the last three years, trying to settle in while the war continues on.
We know that some are still waiting to go back home, others are settling in and trying to make a new home and re-establish themselves here in Alberta.
MH: What’s your take away from global leaders meeting in Kyiv on Monday?
OB: It definitely was a sign of solidarity. I think it was an important message to show that the world is still standing with Ukraine, and we were pleased that our government was able to make an announcement of additional support, which is critical.
We need the world to continue supporting. We need Canada to continue supporting with military aid, economic support, and supporting that fight for democracy.
MH: What do you feel Ukrainians need to hear from the Trump administration, even from Donald Trump himself, as the U.S. enters these negotiations with Russia without Ukraine at the table.
OB: That was a bit of a blow to our community, to Ukraine. It was not expected that he would be in the position of orchestrating this kind of a meeting without Ukraine being at the table.
It’s pretty hard to negotiate when the two negotiators that need to be at the table are not there. It was a bit shattering for everybody, realizing that perhaps the U.S. is not with us on this, and it’s really positioned the world, and Ukraine, in a different way.
MH: Donald Trump signaled on Monday that, as he sees it, the U.S. is very close to making a deal with Ukraine on critical minerals as a means of recouping some of what the U.S. has put toward the war effort. How does that sit with folks here?
OB: Not very well. There’s a lot of questions with the community about this. How is it that Trump is making allegations that Ukraine started the war, and then actually wanting Ukraine’s minerals. It’s very concerning.
MH: How do folks feel about that one element of Trump saying Ukraine started the war?
OB: It’s horrifying because we know the truth, and for him to buy in and align with Putin’s narrative is really troublesome. And so what next? I think there’s a element of trust that has been broken, and people are very concerned on who and how the U.S. is going to be moving forward. How are we going to move ahead with the U.S.? Is the U.S. going to be there? Is the U.S. going to support? Clearly, the messages are very threatening, and the community is not believing that the once ally is in the future with us.
MH: We as Canadians, we have this uncertain, chaotic relationship right now with Donald Trump. Is there anything comparable with what Canada is facing now versus what is playing out, in terms of negotiations between the U.S. and Russia to settle this war?
OB: Absolutely. I think that what it’s showing is that there’s a lot of concern about democracy and the new world order. I think that these recent elections have really changed the geopolitical climate in Canada, and the rest of the world.
I think the leaders around the world, and Canada, are scrambling to understand what does that mean, just as Ukraine is trying to understand what does that U.S. relationship look like with them. I think that we are all redefining these relationships, and we’re all very concerned about democracy, freedom and the rights of Canadians.
Our commemoration to mark that third anniversary really was about honouring democracy, and for Canada, and honouring democracy for Western Europe, because we are all in a very threatened state at this point in time.
MH: Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s suggestion that he would step down if there is peace, if there is an agreement on joining NATO. How does that sit in terms of political stability in Ukraine?
OB: I think they need to do what they need to do. If that is what, if that is what is believed by the president, I believe that the right decisions will be made at the time.
There’s a lot of rhetoric going on, and we need to take the time and make very informative decisions right now, and making hasty statements, as we’ve seen with our neighbors to the south, does not help our situation.
MH: If we bring the conversation back home to Alberta, what is the state of support programs for Ukrainians who are currently here? Is there the degree of support that is required of the situation?
OB: We are asking for more ongoing support. We are in a situation where the work visas are coming to an end March 31. We’re advocating that the work visas for Ukrainian newcomers are extended for an additional three years while the war continues on.
We feel it’s really important that people settle and feel secure in the space that they are in, and right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty in Ukraine, and also uncertainty here.
The documentation is an issue, and the resources. There is really nothing available. Most of the supports have come to an end.
