CANADA’S PERCEPTION OF DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT IN INDEPENDENT UKRAINE

Abstract

The article is devoted to a general overview of Canada's attitudes to the democratic development of post-Soviet Ukraine. The article examines the position and opinion of both official and diasporas’ Canada on the development of democracy in Ukraine. It is determined that Ukraine's independence was a kind of signal to the beginning of intensive Canadian cooperation and support for the Ukraine’s transition from a command-administrative economy to a free market. Another important area of support was the building of democratic institutions and civil society. Official Canadian assistance came through a number of channels, but the main institution was the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Another powerful force and initiator of many projects and support programs was the Ukrainian Diaspora in Canada. We can talk about three main events that contributed to the revival of attention from official Canada to Ukraine: the declaration of Independence in 1991, the Orange Revolution in 2004 and Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity in late 2013. Each of these events was positively assessed by Canada (as official and diasporas’), and was interpreted as an impetus for potential progress towards democracy. Despite the positive attitude to the development of transit to democracy in post-Soviet Ukraine, Canada is critical of the pace of this transit and the quality of transformation processes. At the same time, representatives of the Diaspora are more outspoken in their criticism of the problems in Ukraine. Among the main obstacles on this path we can name corruption, inhibition of reforms, institutional weakness, confrontation between supporters and opponents of reforms and regional clans since 2014. After the annexation of Crimea by Russia the external factor is also considered. Canada is helping Ukraine strongly in the fight against Russian aggression by providing technical, financial and diplomatic assistance.