Ukrainians are photographed harvesting in Separator, Saskatchewan, Canada in 1915.
At this point in time Ukrainians were forced to register as “enemy aliens”, and many were put into concentration camps to perform forced labour during World War One.
Tag Archives: Canada
On this day: the end of the war
7th May 1945: Two women stand on Saint Catherine Street, reading the front page of The Montreal Daily Star. The newspaper announces “Germany Quit” – signalling the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Canada declared war on Germany on the 10th of September, 1939.
Christmas Stamp of the British Empire
Canadian Christmas stamp of 1898, less than three years before the end of Queen Victoria‘s long reign. At this point Canada was still part of the British Empire.
‘We hold a vaster Empire than has been’.
On this day: Christmas shoppers in Canada
14th December 1940: A policeman in Montreal, Quebec, Canada directs Christmas shoppers at the intersection of St. Catherine Street and Union Avenue.
The photograph was taken by photojournalism pioneer Conrad Poirier.
Two Weeks
With two weeks to go until Christmas, here is a Victorian Christmas card from Nova Scotia in Canada.
On this day: a Royal Visit in Canada
King Edward VII came to power in January of 1901, upon the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. The King’s son and heir and his wife, the Duke of York and the Duchess of Cornwall, subsequently went on a world tour of British territories.
They are photographed here in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, attending a lacrosse tournament on the 21st September.
That day the Duke also presented medals:
On this day: human rights in Canada
Ukrainians in Castle Mountain concentration camp in 1915.
The 22nd of August, 1914 saw the passing of Canada’s War Measures Act. The act would result in government-sanctioned human rights abuses against Canadians of largely Ukrainian origin.
Ukrainians were declared “enemy aliens” and thousands were put into concentration camps to be used for slave labour across Canada. They were seen as enemies because the western regions of their homeland were under Austro-Hungarian rule at the outbreak of the First World War.
Some 80 000 Ukrainians who weren’t imprisoned were still required to register as enemy aliens and barred from leaving the country.
Plaque and statue at Castle Mountain near Banff.
The infamous Castle Mountain Internment Camp in Alberta saw prisoners used to work in the national parks, where they established the groundwork for the massive tourism to Banff and Lake Louise seen today.
Abuses at the camp were widespread, and were reported as far away as Britain.
Internment continued for two years after the war ended.
Ukrainian cemetery at the Kapuskasing Internment Camp in Ontario.
The internment of ethnic groups was widespread across many countries in both the First and Second World Wars, including in Australia and the United States, though the internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s is generally the only instance most know of.
On this day: a Centenary in Canada
Mayor James Sharpe, his wife Edie, and Chief Earl Hill pose in front of the plaque in Centennial Park on the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Deseronto, Ontario, Canada. 19th June 1971. The Sharpes wear 1870s clothing for the occasion.
Deseronto is named after Captain John Deseronto, a native Mohawk leader and a captain in the British Military Forces during the American Revolutionary War.
On this day: free bread to honour the Queen
Canada honoured the Queen’s official birthday on the 21st of May this year. The British monarchs have celebrated an official birthday separate to their real birthday since the 1740s.
In 1859 this holiday occurred on the 24th of May, which was in fact Queen Victoria’s real birthday. To mark the occasion officials in Toronto handed out tickets for free loaves of bread.
On this day: the King’s official birthday.
This image is of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, on the King’s official birthday on the 19th of May, 1939.
The British monarch has celebrated an official birthday separate to their real birthday since George II began the tradition in 1748. The purpose of the different date was to ensure celebrations could be held in a warmer month, where there was a better chance of the weather being fine.
In Times Gone By... 
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