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Edmonton Sun, Canada
June 28 2014
Plaques will mark memory of "enemy aliens"
By Trevor Robb ,Edmonton Sun
Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk is not interested in an apology.
The professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and former chair
of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA), has
taken it upon himself to lead the way and organize a stirring tribute
to mark the memory of the thousands of "enemy aliens" who had their
civil rights stripped, and were subsequently imprisoned during
Canada's first national internment operations of 1914-1920 following
the implementation of the War Measures Act.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the War Measures Act --
adopted on August 22, 1914 during the First World War. It was used to
imprison Ukrainian-Canadians, and other ethnic groups including
German, Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian and Armenian communities, into
one of Canada's 24 internment camps.
"The War Measures Act was fairly Draconian," said Luciuk, who as
opposed to seeking an official apology or restitution payments from
the government, has simply been looking for acknowledgement and
recognition.
That recognition comes in the form of the CTO ("One Hundred") project,
where 100 aluminum plaques will be simultaneously unveiled at 100
different locations across the country at 11:00 a.m. local time on
Friday, August 22 2014.
"I don't think it would be fair for me to come to you and say you
should pay me money today as a taxpayer because of what your
grandfather did to my grandfather," said Luciuk. "This isn't a
negative kind of crusade. It's about affirming the importance of human
rights and civil liberties by learning about the past."
Each plaque cost $1,000 to make and features a photo of internment
prisoners confined behind a wire fence at the Castle Mountain
Internment Camp in Banff, AB.
Plaques will be unveiled in 16 locations across Alberta including five
Edmonton locations -- Kule Folklore Centre, University of Alberta,
Ukrainian Canadian Museum and Archives, 9543 - 110 Ave. NW, St Michael
the Archangel Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 12104-129 Ave., St John's
Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, 10611 - 110 Ave., and the Ukrainian
Youth (CYM) Unity Complex, 915-153 Ave. NW.
The first plaque will be unveiled in Amherst, Nova Scotia, and then
the wave of plaque unveilings will move west, from province to
province, culminating in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
"This is a first in Canadian history. Nobody has ever unveiled 100
plaques on the same day from coast to coast for any reason that I'm
aware of, and in this case to recall a historic injustice," said
Luciuk. "It's something Canadians should pause to remember as we
recall the First World War and the valour of all those Canadian men,
and some women, who served -- this is not meant to take away from
that."
For more information and a complete list of recipient locations, visit
www.uccla.ca.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2014/06/28/plaques-will-mark-memory-of-enemy-aliens
June 28 2014
Plaques will mark memory of "enemy aliens"
By Trevor Robb ,Edmonton Sun
Dr. Lubomyr Luciuk is not interested in an apology.
The professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and former chair
of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA), has
taken it upon himself to lead the way and organize a stirring tribute
to mark the memory of the thousands of "enemy aliens" who had their
civil rights stripped, and were subsequently imprisoned during
Canada's first national internment operations of 1914-1920 following
the implementation of the War Measures Act.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the War Measures Act --
adopted on August 22, 1914 during the First World War. It was used to
imprison Ukrainian-Canadians, and other ethnic groups including
German, Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian and Armenian communities, into
one of Canada's 24 internment camps.
"The War Measures Act was fairly Draconian," said Luciuk, who as
opposed to seeking an official apology or restitution payments from
the government, has simply been looking for acknowledgement and
recognition.
That recognition comes in the form of the CTO ("One Hundred") project,
where 100 aluminum plaques will be simultaneously unveiled at 100
different locations across the country at 11:00 a.m. local time on
Friday, August 22 2014.
"I don't think it would be fair for me to come to you and say you
should pay me money today as a taxpayer because of what your
grandfather did to my grandfather," said Luciuk. "This isn't a
negative kind of crusade. It's about affirming the importance of human
rights and civil liberties by learning about the past."
Each plaque cost $1,000 to make and features a photo of internment
prisoners confined behind a wire fence at the Castle Mountain
Internment Camp in Banff, AB.
Plaques will be unveiled in 16 locations across Alberta including five
Edmonton locations -- Kule Folklore Centre, University of Alberta,
Ukrainian Canadian Museum and Archives, 9543 - 110 Ave. NW, St Michael
the Archangel Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 12104-129 Ave., St John's
Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, 10611 - 110 Ave., and the Ukrainian
Youth (CYM) Unity Complex, 915-153 Ave. NW.
The first plaque will be unveiled in Amherst, Nova Scotia, and then
the wave of plaque unveilings will move west, from province to
province, culminating in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
"This is a first in Canadian history. Nobody has ever unveiled 100
plaques on the same day from coast to coast for any reason that I'm
aware of, and in this case to recall a historic injustice," said
Luciuk. "It's something Canadians should pause to remember as we
recall the First World War and the valour of all those Canadian men,
and some women, who served -- this is not meant to take away from
that."
For more information and a complete list of recipient locations, visit
www.uccla.ca.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2014/06/28/plaques-will-mark-memory-of-enemy-aliens