MP Stubbs Attends Canada Day Festivities in Lakeland

Shannon Stubbs, Member of Parliament for Lakeland and Deputy Critic for Natural Resources, attended Canada Day festivities in Bruderheim and Vegreville last week.

M.P. Stubbs was pleased to join the residents of Bruderheim in the Canada Day Parade, where she handed out frisbees and treats for kids young and old. From Bruderheim, she travelled to Vegreville to take part in the 43rd Annual Pysanka Festival Grandstands, hosted by the Vegreville Cultural Association.

“On Canada Day, we celebrated our rich and diverse Canadian history from coast-to-coast-to-coast, and we also celebrated our vibrant Ukrainian community,” said M.P. Stubbs.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. In 1891, the first Ukrainians came to Canada to seek a better life for their families. By 1914, approximately170,000 Ukrainians had entered Canada, and about 20 to 25 percent of the Ukrainian-Canadian population was in Alberta.

“I was very lucky to grow up on a farm near Chipman surrounded by Ukrainian culture and history. My husband Shayne’s family came from Ukraine just over a hundred years ago and settled in and between Innisfree and Two Hills,” said M.P. Stubbs. “Ukrainian Canadians are an example for preserving language and traditions, passing cultural practices on to future generations, while ‎being proud Canadians. They have helped to build Alberta and I’ve witnessed first-hand how they continue to contribute in every way, every single day. It was an honour to celebrate that culture and history in Vegreville on Canada Day.”

The Canada Day events in Bruderheim and Vegreville marked M.P. Stubbs’ first as the Member of Parliament for Lakeland.