In his speech at UCU, the Prime Minister recalled the historical events that led to Ukraine’s gaining its independence and Canada's role in this. This country was one of the first that recognized the new state of Ukraine in 1991. The reason is that Canada has the most numerous Ukrainian diaspora: there are about 500 thousand Ukrainians there and more than a million residents with Ukrainian roots. According to Stephen Harper, his visit was associated with recognition of the Holodomor (forced famine).

Two years ago, Canada recognized the terrible tragedy as genocide against the Ukrainian people. Many people were in Ukraine during the famine and, having moved to Canada, testified about the true events of that time. Therefore, Canada was well informed about the situation in Ukraine and did not hesitate to recognize independence and the genocide. The guest gave his speech in two languages: English and French. In the end, Canada’s Prime Minister said that no one knows what our future holds, yet it depends upon young people.