Creating A New Future

The secrets of our future are laid within our past. If we as a society cannot learn from the mistakes of yesteryear, then we are doomed to repeat it.

There are countries throughout the world that appear to be a caring and compassionate. Underneath these perceptions also include darker sides of their histories that must not be forgotten. There are people in such countries who want a part of history to remain buried. Why would a few wish to bury the secrets in Canada’s past? In order to understand the question, let us first take a brief search into one era that has been forgotten about my many within society for over eighty years.
Roots of the Oppression

In the later part of the 19th and the turn of the 20th Century with the rapid expansion of the vastly undeveloped Canadian content, came the drastic requirement for the mass influxes of immigrants. In order to accommodate this, Canada began to look towards certain over populated European Nations. The Canadian government sent agents over to the Austrian-Hungary empire and a region, which is now known as Ukraine. During this period of time, “50,000 persons a year were dying from malnutrition,” (www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1999/329916.shtml).

Due to the Austrian government’s central economical policies, a campaign of over- harvesting from this region had been developed, with hardly anything being reinvest within the local economies. Out of this came mass starvation and famine. This treatment of the Ukrainians and other ethnical groups in this region, had left the door wide open for Canadian government agents. These agents then entered this land and offered Ukrainians and other ethnic groups a better future in Canada with, “fantastic stories of streets paved with gold.” (www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1999/329916.shtml).

With the bending of reality, these government agents were able to attract nearly 200,000 Ukrainians. These new immigrants were not aware that these agents did not have their best interests at heart. The Canadian government at that time was paying these agents a reward for each immigrant, who immigrated over to Canada. Looking back it proved that these Ukrainians were not treated as human beings; instead they were thought of as nothing more than a number.

The illusion of streets of gold is replaced with oppression

Expansion of the nation’s infrastructure was the central reason for seeking Ukrainian immigrants. “The Canadian establishment vitally needed their backbreaking labor to develop the national infrastructure in agriculture, mining, logging, industry and transportation. But their presence was not desired; for the sight of illiterate peasants in sheepskin coats, reeking of garlic, was somehow perceived as a threat to English civilization.” (www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1999/329916.shtml). Because of what this Ukrainian work force was thought of, many times these immigrants were put in dangerous work placements, brought in to break up unionized efforts and then cheated out of money owed to them during payday. Examples of how this ethnic group of people was treated at this time can be seen at www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1999/329916.shtml

False Promise Of Protection By Conservative Government at Outset of WWI

At the outbreak of WWI, the Conservative Prime Minister Robert Borden “assured immigrants from Germany and regions under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, from which the majority of Ukrainians came from, that, as long as they did nothing to aid the enemy, they are entitled to protection of the law.” Yet business and the masses did not share the government policy in those days. “Business and labor groups, mostly in western Canada, demanded that all enemy aliens, either immigrants or naturalized Canadians, be dismissed from their jobs and thrown into internment camps. Some asked that a $1,000 head tax be placed on any new immigrants from Eastern Europe.” (www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet02/doc-002.html )

With what appeared to be massive resentfulness towards the Ukrainian immigrants coming from the populous within Canada “Justice Minister C.J. Doherty put public opinion into law June 15, 1915. The Conservative government passed legislation forbidding enemy aliens from competing for jobs with Canadians. He defended this action by saying that allowing alien enemies to work or compete with others would lead to serious danger of rioting.” (www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet02/doc-003.html)

Twice in early 1915, the British Foreign Office instructed Ottawa to “accord preferential treatment to Ruthenians (Ukrainians), who were deemed to be friendly aliens, there lot did not improve.” In addition, the Ukrainians situation grew drastically worst on September 15, 1917, when a War Time Election Act passed. “The Kingston Whig Standard had the courage to oppose this legislation; on September 7, 1917 it editorialized: “If the [Act] becomes law the ‘alleged’ foreigners and hitherto ‘naturalized’ Canadians will bear their reproach meekly, but many will have sown in their hearts the seeds of a bitterness that can never be extirpated. The man whose honour has been mistrusted, and who has been singled out for national humiliation, will remember it and sooner or later it will have to be atoned for.” (www.infoukes.com/ucpbf/news/hunter01.html ) To this date this atonement has yet to be given by the Federal Canadian government.

Prelude To Modern Day Anti-Terrorist Laws

The following is proof that lessons of our past are sooner or later repeated within our future. However, what makes these lessons even less damaging is, if we pay attention to the past, we would be able to prevent a few from committing these same acts of atrocities in the future. “The War Measures Act prohibited enemy aliens from leaving their homes or being near bridges, waterways and railroads. It also gave local police the right to search their homes for weapons. Other measures introduced during the war prevented enemy aliens from buying farm land, printing newspapers or magazines in their own language and, finally, from voting.” (http://www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet02/doc-003.html ) With the coming of the National ID cards within Canada just around the corner, how much longer before these cards would be used against what a few would classify as less desirable, ethnically different than the majority, the outspoken, or social outcasts who are/were viewed as being not part of society.

Ukrainians Unjustified Treatment During WWI

Once the establishment of War measure act in 1914 and passage of legislation “Justice Minister C.J. Doherty put public opinion into law June 15, 1915. The Conservative government passed legislation forbidding enemy aliens from competing for jobs with Canadians. He defended this action by saying that “allowing alien enemies to work or compete with others” would lead to a “serious danger of rioting.” (http://www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet02/doc-003.html).
In addition another “80,000 individuals (of which the vast majority were Ukrainians) were obliged to register as enemy aliens, and then required to report to local authorities on a regular basis.” (www.infoukes.com/history/internment/ ) Also, “Upon each individual’s arrest, whatever money and property they had was taken by the government. In the internment camps they were denied access to newspapers and their correspondence was censored. They were sometimes mistreated by the guards.” (http://www.educ.sfu.ca/cels/past_art28.html ) In many cases seized property or money was never returned. In essence, the Ukrainians were treated as second-class citizens, who were stuck in between a world of oppression that they had come from and were trying to escape. Then with no fault of their own, the Ukrainians were found guilty because of where their ethical roots.

Now, under the definition of democracy people are not supposed to be held accountable for a crime that they did not commit. Citizens are supposed to be considered equal and have equal access to due process under the law. Yet, during this time of mass hysteria and fear being bred by a few, the Ukrainians including their children were open to this dark form of oppression.

For in one glaring case of mistreatment rises up a gut-wrenching story, from Mary Manko Haskett in the article called A Plea from the last survivor of internment camps. Within this article Mary Manko Haskett stated, “I was six years old then. I was an innocent. And I was innocent of any wrongdoing. And just like me, Canada’s Ukrainians were not disloyal. Our imprisonment was wrong.” Now if this was not applauding enough to have a six year old sent to a force labor camp, Mary continues onto say that her little sister, “Nellie was also born in Quebec. She was just two and half years old when we buried her, near the Spirit Lake internment camp.” (www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet02/doc-097.html)

Lastly within this article Mary Manko Haskett stated, “I would go back and visit Nellie’s grave, one last time. But I’m told it’s no longer there. Her body was moved. Why, or when, or how, I don’t know. No one seems to know where she rests. My parents are buried in Mississaugua, near where I live. Someday I’ll be buried beside them. I wish Nellie could be with us. But that will never be. Ottawa interned our family together in life. In death Ottawa will keep us apart.” (www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet02/doc-097.html)

The End Result of The Force Labor Camps

Once the force labor camps had been disbanded in 1920, almost two years after WWI had ended, 107 prisoners had died. “Of the 107 prisoners who died in captivity, three committed suicide. The largest groups succumbed to tuberculosis (26), pneumonia (22) and heart disease (10). In fact, so many prisoners contracted tuberculosis that a special internee’s hospital was established for them.” (www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet02/doc-001.html)

Further, another 106 prisoners “were deemed to be mad by prison officials and confined to mental institutions. After the war all but three were deported. In some cases, suggests Otter, the disease possibly developed from a nervous condition brought about by the confinement and restrictions entailed.” (www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet02/doc-001.html)

Could This Happen Again in Our Times?

One of the main questions facing people, could this happen again? Some may argue that with the passing of the Emergency Act that replaced the War Measures Act in 1988, this situation would not be permitted to happen again. “The Emergencies Act differs from the War Measures Act in two important ways:

1. A declaration of an emergency by the Cabinet must be reviewed by Parliament
2. Any temporary laws made under the Act are subject to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” (http://www.educ.sfu.ca/cels/past_art28.html)

In other words the Emergency Act is subject to the first point, in Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” (http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/

With this in mind, there should be caution exercised before one believes that one is protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Who will decide if a point is just and reasonable? At this time, that decision is left up to the Court system and politicians and not the people. So if a few wish to push any sort of agenda upon the people, all they would need is control of the Court system and Parliament. Where is the protection of the people here? Moreover, with the “not with standing clause” a Provincial government could realistically decide to throw out the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, without the approval of the people. Again, where are the lines of justice and the protection for the people?

Conclusion

These force labor camps (Canadian Concentration camps) broke many people’s spirits. One example from the Petawawa internment camp and how a brother in law of a surviving Internee described this person, “They had broken his spirit up there…he could never get over the injustice of his treatment, the falseness of his hope in this new world.” http://www.infoukes.com/history/internment/booklet01/

Right from the beginning these camps were nothing more than the creation of mass-hysteria and fear. Yet, as the years past people seem to be less and less willing to offer an atonement. Jean Chretien wrote on June 8, 1983: “The Liberal Party understands your concerns …we support your efforts to secure the redress of Ukrainian Canadians’ claims arising from their internment and loss of freedoms during the First World War. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and seek to ensure that the government honours its promise.” Chretien has now been Prime Minister for two terms; again, nothing has been done. (http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/1994/529401.shtml )

Now as we enter into a new Century with the introduction of a private members bill C-331 by Inky Mark (http://www.uccla.ca/bill_c-331/ ). Some may say that this incidence is so long ago it should not matter. However, in the name of democracy, truth, justice, honesty and the memories of these lost innocent people, we should not forget this past. If Canada is not willing to confront its injustices of the past, how can we stand in front of the world, as a caring and compassionate nation?

The last questions I have are directed directly at Prime Minister Paul Martin. Are you going to be a leader that will be remembered within Canadian history as a person that is loyal to the people and right all injustices carried out against the people (whether these injustices happened yesterday or over eighty years ago)? Or are you going to be remembered like other politicians, who never took the people’s rights to heart? Lastly, are you (Prime Minister Paul Martin) going to ensure that the remains of Nellie are found and that this child’s body will be buried next to her family, where this child belongs?

All Content Inclusive, Copyright © Reginald Angus Argue (pen name of Angus McLeod)

Update On This Article

Several months ago in the spring of 2005, an agreement was reached between the current Federal Liberal Canadian government and members of the Ukrainian community. However, no official apology has been offer, rather the Federal Canadian government has committed money towards educating and commemoration of this injustice. At the same time, there has been no mention from any member of the Federal Canadian Government, towards the location of Nelie’s remains. The question being directed at the current leader of Canada, Mr. Martin, are you going to find Nelie’s remains and bring complete closure to this dark, cold part of Canada’s past?

Lastly my wife, who’s Grandmother originally came from the Ukraine is finally able to see that the children are going to be able to learn this one dark chapter of Canada’s history, in a hope that this maybr prevent from happening again. Remember first we must learn from our past, before we continue on with our future.