Alberta names the year starting September 7, 2016 as Ukrainian-Canadian Heritage Year, and names September 7 each year starting in 2017 as Ukrainian-Canadian Heritage Day.
UKRAINIAN‑CANADIAN HERITAGE DAY ACT Chapter U‑0.3 Preamble WHEREAS 2016 marks the 125th year since the first recorded arrival of Ukrainians in Canada; WHEREAS Alberta was the province where Ukrainians first settled in Canada and founded many of Alberta’s earliest religious and cultural institutions; WHEREAS Ukrainian‑Albertans have contributed immensely to the Province of Alberta, initially through agriculture, forestry, railways and mining and subsequently to Alberta’s government, civil society, industry, economic advancement and prosperity; WHEREAS the early cultural, economic, political and educational contributions for which Ukrainian‑Albertans should be recognized specifically include ‑‑ bringing their wheat grains with them from Ukraine and developing the “Red Fife Wheat” that is grown throughout Alberta, ‑‑ contributing to Alberta’s rich cultural heritage through the arts, including choral and instrumental music, folkloric and performing dance, fine art, fibre art, literature, architecture, libraries, museums and archival collections and cuisine, and ‑‑ helping to build our roads, railways and infrastructure in Alberta’s national parks; WHEREAS Ukrainian-Albertans have served and sacrificed as members of Her Majesty’s Canadian Armed Forces to defend the rights and liberties of Canadians and have paid the ultimate price for our freedom; WHEREAS 2016 marks the 40th anniversary of both the Ukrainian bilingual education program in Alberta and the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies; WHEREAS 2016 marks the 30th Anniversary of both the Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts and the Alberta Ukrainian Dance Association; and WHEREAS Ukrainian‑Albertans have assisted in the creation and the promotion of multiculturalism in Canada and in Alberta; THEREFORE HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, enacts as follows: Alberta’s Ukrainian‑Canadian Heritage Observances 1 In order to encourage the recognition of Alberta’s Ukrainian‑Canadian heritage by all residents of our province, (a) the year commencing on September 7, 2016 shall be known as “Ukrainian‑Canadian Heritage Year”, and (b) commencing in 2017, September 7 of each year shall be known as “Ukrainian‑Canadian Heritage Day”.