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. However, as prevalent as these camps were across our country, today the history of Ukrainian Internment in Canada is not well known. Only recently, thanks to the work of organizations like the Ukrainian Civil Liberties Association (UCLA), plaques have been erected where these internment sites once stood to acknowledge the legacy of the area. These plaques stand alongside parking lots, roads and railways because although the camps themselves have long since crumbled into obscurity, the infrastructure that the internees were indentured to create under forced labour remain.
The legacy of internment still has repercussion within our community. The fear and shame associated with being betrayed by their own country pushed many families to lay down their traditions, culture and values in favour of adapting swiftly with the white Canadian majority. The whiteness and privilege that we enjoy today came at a coast, the cost of our language, our culture and the internment and death of of our families. To those Ukrainian Canadians who still struggle to understand the contemporary movements for justice and equality in our country today, our history should remind us how easy it is for discrimination to flourish and how important it is to call it our when we see it. As young people in our community and as the next generation of Ukrainian Leaders, we recognize the importance of upholding the legacy and history of our people before it is forgotten especially as a medium from which to understand social justice today. Taking inspiration from those that came before us, we wanted to create our own initiative to aid in the remembrance of Ukrainian Internment in Canada. To this end, members of the UVic Ukrainian Students' Society have launched the Internment Geocache Project. This project aims to place geocaches at the sites of the former WWI internment camps. Geocaching is a popular activity and is practiced by people all over the world. Geocachers travel far and wide to find hidden geocaches using the coordinates shared online. By placing geocaches at the the interment sites, we hope to engage the broader Canadian community to travel the site of the former WWI internment sites across Canada and experience this part of Canada's history. On July 24th, members of our club traveled from Victoria to Nanaimo British Columbia. This trip was for leisure, but rather a pilgrimage to the site of one of the 24 Ukrainian Internment sites. The Nanaimo internment camp was in operation from 1914 to 1915. Once one of the largest operations in the area, all that remains of the internment site is a parking lot next to a yacht club. If you weren't already aware of the history, you would have no way of knowing you were standing in the very same spot innocent men were imprisoned. Although not much remains of the former internment camp, we were still able to see signs that it was indeed once there. Walking along Stewart Ave, which runs directly adjacent to where the internment site once stood, we learned that the trees that provided us shade from the sun were planted by the very same internees detained at the Nanaimo camp. After 100 years, the trees have grown tall and strong adding a surprising beauty to the area, a stark contrast to the gruesome history of their creation. A short 5 minute walk from the parking lot, along the water front is a plaque placed by the UCLA. As we stood by the plaque, we watched as people passed on their bikes, or walking their dogs. Again, we were struck by the beauty of the location as we were encouraged to consider what life must have been like for the internees. We wondered how they would feel to know that the location of their prison is now the home a luxury yacht club and beach front property. From this experience, we were shocked to learn that no matter where you are in Canada, the history of the land goes much farther back. Many of these internment camps are located close to home, in our own communities, but the history goes overlooked. With the success of our initiative, we hope to inspire other Ukrainian Student organizations to travel to the site of their nearest internment site, many of whom, won't have to travel far. We encourage everyone to travel to the internment sites. to experience the history of these locations, to experience the our own communities tragic history and hopefully, to gain more empathy to the tragedies that befell other communities at the hands of discrimination and inequality. We welcome you to try geocaching for yourself, to visit the location of the former internment camps for yourself and to be reminded of Canada's history. We share this history not to detract from the ongoing struggle of indigenous Canadians towards reconciliation, but rather in hopes of reminding settler Canadians this is not solely an indigenous issue and that it is the duty of every Canadian to fight for reconciliation and equality. It's time to become engaged in our history. 49.17694,-123.94332
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