Ukraine and Canada love to talk about their deep ties, forged through generations of Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. And it’s true: the North American nation of 37 million people includes 1.3 million Ukrainian-Canadians. However, the reality with immigrants is that, over time, they naturally become more focused on the country where they are living than the country of their birth or their ancestors.
So while the three-day Ukraine Reform Conference in Toronto delivered a strong show of support from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the accomplishments of the meetings should have been more substantive.
The leaders dusted off a youth exchange program that has been stalled for years. It wasn’t clear whether Canada has agreed to deliver armoured vehicles to Ukraine. No big investments were announced.
At this stage in the relationship, more is expected: visa-free travel, extensive military support and deeper integration of the two economies.
Toronto Globe & Mail columnist Doug Saunders on July 4 described the mixed feelings of Canadians: “So many investments in Ukraine have disappeared into a fog of corruption that they want to see real reforms first, before any discussions of a greater role for Ukraine can begin.”
