Kelowna Recognizes Suffering at Internment Camps in WW1

A plaque was unveiled at 11 am on Friday in Kelowna to commemorate 100 years since the federal War Measures Act that interned thousands of European-Canadians during World War I.

Across Canada, 100 plaques were set up as part of the CTO Project (Cto is “one” in Ukrainian) by the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation. Fourteen of these were in BC, and Kelowna's plaque was unveiled at the Dormition of the Mother of God, Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Map of 1914-1920 Canadian Internment Camps. (Photo Credit: Internment Canada)

The War Measures Act suspended civil liberties and gave more power to the federal government to bypass parliament. Over 8,000 immigrants from what were then enemy countries were suspected and put in internment camps without trials. These camps had poor living conditions and those inside performed forced labour, lost the right to vote, and had their money confiscated. Vernon was the site for one of two camps that held women and children.

Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk, CTO project leader, commented on the unveilings across Canada: “One hundred years ago, a wave of repression swept across Canada, undermining the basic human rights of thousands of people, not because of any wrong they had done but only because of who they were, where they had come from. Today we bear witness as a wave of memory moves across our country, from coast to coast, reminding us about what happened during Canada's first national internment operations and of the need to remain vigilant in defence of civil liberties and human rights, particularly in periods of domestic and international crisis.”

Lake Country Mayor James Baker, Father Andrezj Waslyinko, MP Ron Cannan, and Acting Kelowna Mayor Maxine Dehart at the Kelowna plaque unveiling. (Photo Credit: Government Handout)

MP Ron Cannan was present at the Kelowna unveiling. “I am proud our Conservative government has supported the redress and commemoration of Canada's World War I internment camps,” says MP Cannan. “It is important to understand and acknowledge this important part of our history, and to learn from this dark section of our past.”