Association of United Ukrainian Canadians

Association of United Ukrainian Canadians
Товариство Об'єднаних Українських Канадців
AbbreviationAUUC
Formation1918; 106 years ago (1918)
HeadquartersWinnipeg, Manitoba
President
Glenn Michalchuk
Main organ
Board of Directors
Websiteauuc.ca
Formerly called
Ukrainian Labour Farmer Temple Association
Statue of Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka donated to the AUUC by the Soviet authorities in Ukraine in 1976 and residing at the University of Saskatchewan.

The Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC; Ukrainian: Товариство Об'єднаних Українських Канадців) is a national cultural-educational non-profit organization established for Ukrainians in Canada. With branches throughout Canada it sponsors such cultural activities as dance groups, orchestras, choirs and children's activities, and is involved in social justice and solidarity activities in partnership with other ethnocultural organizations, peace groups, and community organizations.

History

Establishment

Seventh convention of the Ukrainian Labour Farmer Temple Association

The Ukrainian Labour Farmer Temple Association (ULFTA) was established in Winnipeg in 1918 as an association of cultural societies and community halls and the Ukrainian Social Democratic Party of Canada (USDPC). By 1928 it had 167 branches across Canada. Labour Temples and other associated halls existed in cities like Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Toronto (1921),[1] as well as in rural communities in the Ukrainian Block Settlements.

As no form of public medicare was available at the time, ULFTA founded the Workers Benevolent Association (WBA) in Winnipeg in 1922, with branches and membership rapidly spreading throughout Canada; it even extended its membership to all workers, irrespective of ethnic origin.

In 1940, the ULFTA was banned under the wartime Defence of Canada Regulations, and a few of its leaders and journalists were interned. Several Labour Temples were confiscated by the federal government as "enemy property" with several being sold off.[2]

Name change of 1940

In 1940, the ULFTA underwent a name change and became the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (AUUC).[3]

Few post World War II immigrants joined the AUUC[citation needed] as most were opposed to the Soviet Union and Communism.

However, the AUUC has a legacy of senior's homes, children's camps, monuments and museums to Ukrainian literary giants, most notably the monument to the Ukrainian poet Lesya Ukrainka, a gift from Soviet Ukraine, on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan in 1976. In addition, the AUUC still runs programs such as Edmonton's Trembita dance ensemble.

See also

Archives

There is an Association of United Ukrainian Canadians fond at Library and Archives Canada.[4] The archival reference number is R3120, former archival reference number is MG28-V154.[5] The fond covers the date ranges 1929 to 1996. It includes 8 meters of textual records; 7 photographs; 3 film reels.

References

  1. ^ "The Ukrainian Community in Toronto". Archived from the original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  2. ^ http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/ukrainian_labour_farmer_temple_association.html Archived 2007-10-06 at the Wayback Machine. For a discussion of the activities of the ULFTA during the war, see Bohdan S. Kordan, Canada and the Ukrainian Question, 1939-1945. Montreal-Kingston: McGill-Queens University Press, 2001.
  3. ^ Frances A. Swyripa; Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. "Ukrainian Canadians". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Finding aid to the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians fond at Library and Archives Canada" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-06-23. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  5. ^ "Association of United Ukrainian Canadians fond at Library and Archives Canada". Archived from the original on 2020-06-24. Retrieved June 22, 2020.