Canada’s House of Commons has approved a bill providing for September to be marked each year as Ukrainian Heritage Month at the federal level. This was reported by the bill’s sponsor, former Canadian senator Stanley Kutcher.
Bill S-210 provides for official recognition of Ukrainians’ contribution to Canada’s development. It is intended to draw attention to Ukrainian history, culture, language and traditions.
The text of the bill states that more than 1.3 million people of Ukrainian descent live in Canada.
September was chosen because on 7 September 1891 the first documented Ukrainian settlers arrived in Canada — Ivan Pylypiv and Vasyl Yelyniak.
Stanley Kutcher introduced the bill in the Senate of Canada on 28 May 2025. The Senate backed it in October of the same year. In the House of Commons, the document was advanced by MP Ivan Baker, who heads the parliamentary friendship group between Canada and Ukraine.
In February 2026, the House of Commons supported the bill at second reading: 318 MPs voted in favour, with none against. In April, the relevant parliamentary committee approved the document without changes. On 21 October, MPs backed it at third and final reading.
Ukrainian Heritage Month had previously already been introduced at the level of individual Canadian provinces. In particular, Ontario passed the relevant law in December 2024.