Memories of Internment - Understanding Canada's Colonial History through our Shared Struggle7/24/2021 This summer, Canadians from all walks of life were reminded of Canada's dark colonial past and oppression towards indigenous people and minorities. It goes without saying that some Canadians found the reminder of their countries colonial and exploitary history hard to swallow. For those Canadians in particular, those who find it difficult to empathize with communities outside of their own, let us remind you, that this history is not new, nor is it unique to the indigenous experience (although in a contemporary context, they are by far the most impacted both in the past and in the present).
It might come as a surprise to many but Ukrainian Canadians also faced discrimination and persecution by the Canadian Government. From 1914 to 1920, the Government of Canada imprisoned over 8000 Ukrainian men, women and even some children in 24 internment camps located across the country. Another 80,000 were listed as "enemy aliens" and although they were not interned, they were obliged to regularly report to police and treated like second class citizens. For what crime were these people accused after. From our contemporary understanding of privilege, they were white yes, but they were also poor, they could not speak english, they worked the land and most importantly, they were "other". Having, only a decade earlier, been invited by the Canadian Government to settle in Canada, the onset of WWI proved to squash the dreams of many of finding a better life in Canada. Their new home, Canada, was fighting against the Central Powers: Germany and Austria-Hungary. Despite not being Austrian themselves, many of the Ukrainian families that settled in Canada had emigrated from the province of Galicia, an area which was, at the time, under the Austrian Crown. Having the title of "Austrian" on their passports was enough to warrant them the label of internal spy.
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This year’s annual Holodomor Awareness Week looked a little different than it has in the past. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we weren't able to host our usually information tables across campus and interact with students directly, but we weren't about to let that stop us from spreading awareness of the Holodomor and commemorating the lives lost. With a little creativity and some help from SUSK, we created a number of Holodomor installations around campus and downtown Victoria with information on the Holodomor. Maybe you saw them? |
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August 2021
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