MONTREAL — Canadian National will make donations totaling C$1.1 million to two organizations — the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, and U.S. non-profit Razom — to support Ukrainians displayed by the war in Ukraine. The railroad will also match donations made through the CN Employees’ and Pensioners’ Community Fund.
“Our Company’s history is tied to the settlement of Western Canada by Ukrainians,” CN CEO Tracy Robinson said in a press release, “and we are proud to have CN employees, retirees, and stakeholders in both Canada and the US who are of Ukrainian descent.”
Razom is a Ukrainian-American organization; its name is the Ukrainian word for “together.” The organization’s president, Dora Chomiak, said the donation “will help Razom provide critical aid in this difficult moment through a network of partner organizations and trusted individuals spanning around the world, and especially on the ground in Ukraine.”
The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is affiliated with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which has chapters in 20 cities across Canada. Foundation President and CEO Orest Sklierenko said the donation “will help our efforts here and aboard. [CN’s] support will make a big difference and we invite all companies to follow suit.”
Canada has a sizable Ukranian-Canadian presence, mostly in the Prairie Provinces.
Ukranian-Canadiens are 14.5% of the population in Manitoba, 13.4% in Saskatchewan, 9.3% in Alberta.