They came to Canada by the thousands, fleeing an endless cycle of poverty and ruthless, autocratic government. Violence was a common occurrence in their homeland.
They settled in towns big and small, but for many, life in the new world was spent behind barbed wire. During the First World War, they were considered enemy aliens simply because of where they came from.
“Many of these people had left Europe to escape tyranny only to have it thrust on them here. Some of them had been born in Canada. They were only trying to make a better life for themselves and their families,” said Ron Candy, Greater Vernon Museum curator, in a 2011 article.
The government of the day insisted these men, women and children posed a threat to Canadians — that somehow they would bring the war to the streets of Vernon and other communities. But the reality was that internment was driven by fear and misunderstanding. These new immigrants, mostly from Ukraine, didn’t fit into the white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant culture that dominated Canadian culture. They were considered sub-standard.
Flash forward a few years and while the faces changed, the actions didn’t.
“Police banging on doors at all hours of the day or night, ordering frightened occupants to gather up only what they could carry. Parents and children innocent of any crime ushered from their homes, herded into a central depot and sent out by train to remote camps. A scene from Nazi Germany? No, it was the internment of the Japanese in British Columbia, 1942,” states thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
Once again, an entire group of people were forced out of their homes and into camps. They were branded enemies, even though many of them were Canadian born.
Officials of the day cited security but the reality is that Japanese Canadians had been the focus of severe racism long before the Second World War. They were considered different and unable to fit into the dominant culture.
But of course, the legacy of intolerance goes back long before the world wars.
No sooner had Europeans stepped foot on Canadian soil and a systematic campaign against First Nations began.
Even here in the Okanagan, First Nations were rounded up on to small chunks of land and children were ripped apart from their parents. Assimilation was initiated all under the guise of education.
All of these are dark chapters in Canadian history but they are relevant given what is happening today.
Some Canadians have currently embraced fear and intolerance. Instead of their neighbour or a family simply trying to make ends meet, they see a radical. A woman wearing a head scarf as she shops or takes her children to school is someone to ridicule.
The argument is that Canada is at war with terrorists and a tough response is required.
And while yes there are those who have perverted Islam and are bent on mass destruction, they are no more representative of their faith than extremists who profess to be Christians by killing others.
But most troubling is how many apparently educated and reasonable people are getting in on the act and using Facebook to spread misinformation and racism. They are telling our Muslim neighbours that they are different and unwanted.
In 2014, a mural commemorating First World War internment was unveiled in Vernon.
As part of the ceremony, Rev. Richard Schulz, of Peace Lutheran Church, provided these thoughts:
“May this memorial be a godsend, a constant reminder, a small symbol of justice, to all who view it, of the wrongs perpetrated against loyal citizens of Canada. Let it be a sign of our loving kindness and let it serve as a constant reminder to all future generations of the need to do justice for the victims of injustice.”
