Statement of Support for Ukraine

The Embassy Cultural House team expresses our profound grief and anger, joining others in the arts and culture community, in condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression and war against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Putin's invasion and occupation are a denial of the legitimacy of Ukraine's existence as a sovereign state.  Our hearts go out to the families of all, Ukrainians and Russians, who have already been killed, injured or displaced. The United Nations has estimated that approximately 2.5 million people have been uprooted from their homes and fled into neighbouring countries. The calls for a ceasefire and a stop to Putin's war are reverberating around the world. 
 
Larry Towell, an ECH contributor, recently reminded us in an email (received March 10, 2022) that, Florence Nightingale in 1854 travelled to Scutari Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, the base for the British military “due to the news reports of the suffering of wounded and sick soldiers who had no clean bandages, pain killers, nor sanitation… which started the Red Cross. The Crimean War was the first war ever reported on by independent journalism."

We encourage our community to consider a contribution to the international humanitarian response by donating to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) or the Canadian Red Cross’ Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal. Canadians have already matched the Government of Canada $30 million pledge as of March 4, 2022. 

Please visit the following links for more information:
Statement by CARFAC
Art Canada Institute's recent focus on Canadian artists of Ukrainian background
Nahlah Ayed, CBC Report, With Russia pressing on and Ukraine digging in, how will Putin's war actually end? March 9, 2022

Photo Credit: Larry Towell, Maidan Uprising, February 2014, Kiev, Ukraine