Discusses the process of incorporating the Ukraine, better known as "Little Russia" in that time, into the Romanov Empire in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Other than territorial expansion, this process was the manifestation of Russian nationalism with regard to Ukrainian culture.

Focusing on the difficulties the government faced in trying to reconcile moral imperatives and political interest, Kordan provides an innovative interpretation of government policy toward Ukrainian Canadians. Drawing extensively on Canadian, British, American, and Soviet archival material, he highlights the connection between the government's foreign and domestic concerns and the implications of each for Canadian nation building. Meticulously researched and richly detailed, Canada and the Ukrainian Question, 1939-1945 offers a clear but critical statement about Canada's uneven approach to ethnic integration and policy making. It will be of interest to historians as well as those interested in foreign policy.