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Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC)
Formation	November 6, 1940; 84 years ago
Legal status	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Method	Political advocacy, lobbying, cultural activities
President	Alexandra Chyczij
CEO	Ihor Michalchyshyn
Website	ucc.ca

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC; Ukrainian: Конгрес Українців Канади; French: Congrès des Ukrainiens Canadiens) is a nonprofit umbrella organization of Ukrainian-Canadian political, cultural, and religious organizations founded in 1940.

History

Pre-UCC

Ukrainians immigrated to Canada at the turn of the 20th century, settling mostly in rural areas of the prairie provinces. Given the church services were required all the more by the new settlers, and in 1918 the autonomous Ukrainian Greek-Orthodox Church of Canada was established. Between 1903 and 1920 Ukrainian Canadians started many organizations and institutions (Ridna Shkola, Taras Shevchenko Institute in Edmonton, Andrey Sheptycky Ukrainian Bursa in Winnipeg among others).

With the outbreak of WWI many Ukrainian immigrants were detained being deemed "enemy aliens" as they arrived from countries at war with Canada. Formed in 1917, the Ukrainian Canadian Citizens' Committee, consisting of various lay and church organizations sent a delegation to Ottawa to protest the classification of immigrants from western Ukraine as "enemy aliens".

A number of organizations became active in the '20s and '30s including USRL, UNF, the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood and others.

The need for unified action by the Ukrainian community became urgent in 1938 to react to events affecting Ukrainians in Europe and the beginning of WWII. The community was anxious to unite under one representative committee.

UCC

The final and conclusive impetus for unity came in 1940 from the National War Services of Canada which was anxious that young Ukrainians enlist in military services.

Originally known as the Ukrainian Canadian Committee (by which it was known until 1989), it was established as a result of the efforts of the Ukrainian Canadian community in November 1940. The main reason that UCC was formed was to have an umbrella organization which could speak for all Ukrainian Canadians and co-ordinate their common goals.^[1] The first congress of Ukrainian Canadians occurred June 22–24, 1943. This was attended by over 600 Ukrainian Canadians. The slogan of this congress was "Victory and Freedom".

In 1952 to combat Soviet propaganda, radio services such as the Voice of America and Radio Canada International Ukrainian-language service, broke through the information blockade and broadcast into the Soviet Union. This was achieved in no small part due to the hard work of the UCC and the Ukrainian Congressional Committee of America.

By 1959, during the sixth Congress of Ukrainian Canadians 25 organizations comprised the membership of the UCC. Resolutions were approved dealing with financial, organizational, social, educational, cultural and political issues as well as student and women's activities, all aimed at strengthening the community and the UCC. In August 2022, Russia designated the Ukrainian Canadian Congress as an "undesirable organization".^[2]

Leadership

The UCC National President is Alexandra Chyczij. The previous UCC National President was Paul M. Grod (2007–2018), who later became the President of the Ukrainian World Congress.

List of presidents of the UCC
No.	Name	Term of office		Duration
1	Wasyl Kushnir	1940	1953	13 years^[a]
2	Antony Yaremovich	1953	1957	4 years
3	Serge Sawchuk	1957	1959	2 years
–	Wasyl Kushnir	1959	1971	12 years^[a]
4	Dr. Peter Kondra	1971	1974	3 years
5	Serge Radchuk	1974	1980	6 years
6	John Nowosad	1980	1986	6 years
7	Dmytro Cipywnyk	1986	1991	5 years
8	Oleh Romaniw	1991	1998	7 years
9	Eugene Czolij	1998	2004	6 years
10	Orysia Sushko	2004	2007	3 years
11	Paul M. Grod	2007	2018	11 years
12	Alexandra Chyczij	2018	Present	6 years

Shevchenko Medal

The UCC has issued the Shevchenko Medal to the following recipients within the last ten years:

2013 Triennial Conference (Toronto)

2016 Triennial Conference (Regina)

2019 Triennial Conference (Ottawa)

2022 Triennial Conference (Winnipeg)

Members

Provincial Councils and Branches

There are six Provincial Councils under the UCC National umbrella, which bring together hundreds of provincial Ukrainian Canadian community groups.

Branches of the Ukrainian Canadian community work at the local/civic level. They are all under the umbrella of UCC National however they are separate legal entities.

Alberta Provincial Council
- Calgary
- Edmonton
British Columbia Provincial Council
- Vancouver
- Victoria
Manitoba Provincial Council
Ontario Provincial Council
- Bradford
- Durham Region
- Hamilton
- London
- Niagara
- Ottawa
- Toronto
- Waterloo - Wellington
- Windsor
Quebec Provincial Council
- Montreal
Saskatchewan Provincial Council
- Canora
- Regina
- Saskatoon
- Yorkton
Other Local Branches
- Halifax
- Prince Edward Island