Enemy Aliens – Internment in Canada, 1914–1920

During the First World War, national security fears and wartime prejudice drove the policy of internment, which lasted until 1920. During this time, Canada interned 8,579 men identified as “enemy aliens,” mainly Ukrainian and German immigrants, across a network of 24 camps. The travelling exhibition from the Canadian War Museum, Enemy Aliens – Internment in Canada, 1914–1920, explores the internment operations and the experiences of the internees: who they were, the conditions they endured, and the legacy they left behind.

This exhibition features 33 photos from the Canadian War Museum, Library and Archives Canada, and many university, archival and private collections throughout the country. It traces the history of First World War internment from the pre-war immigration boom — when the Canadian government actively recruited European immigrants — to the declaration of war and the enactment of the War Measures Act, which allowed the government to register and intern many of those same immigrants. The exhibition explains the division of internees into “First” and “Second” class, and depicts the often rough conditions in the camps. Finally, it describes efforts to revive and preserve the history of First World War internment camps in Canada.

Enemy Aliens – Internment in Canada, 1914–1920 has been developed by the Canadian War Museum in partnership with the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation.

Related Events

Opening Reception: Friday, February 16, 2024, 7 PM

Online Lecture: Lubomyr Luciuk / Lest They Forget: A Reflection on the Redress Movement for Canada’s First National Internment Operations of 1914-1920 — Tuesday, February 27, 2024, 7 PM via Zoom