Saskatoon’s Ukrainian community, alongside numerous Ukrainian people throughout Canada, are calling on the federal government to act as violent protests spread throughout the Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress, shocked by graphic videos from protests in the country’s capital, Kyiv, has drafted a petition calling on the federal government to impose sanctions on the Ukrainian government.
“Canada has always been supportive of Ukrainian people and this is one of those times Canada has to show its support,” said Serhij Koroliuk of the congress’s Saskatoon branch.
Protests began two months ago after Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych did not sign an agreement to join the European Union. Protestors called for Yanukovych’s resignation and for new elections, but this week he introduced anti-protest laws, which led to violence — at least two people were killed by gun fire Wednesday.
Iryna Matsiuk, a Ukrainian living in Saskatoon, visited Kyiv last month. She said the struggle has changed the face of the city.
“It was all turned into barricades and it looked like almost a war zone in the downtown of Kyiv,” she said.
Despite a truce between government and opposition leaders, the protests have now spread to other Ukrainian cities.
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress has set up a credit union account for donations to the protest movement.
“There is a lot of people and they need food, they need a place to stay, and they need sources to keep this protest going,” Koroliuk said.
Yanukovych has called a special session of parliament next week to discuss the tensions, but because his backers hold a majority of seats, it’s not clear what will be resolved.
Many Ukrainians in Saskatoon don’t believe the struggle will end for at least a couple of weeks.
