On August 22, 1914, the Government of Canada enacted the War Measures Act, permitting the government to suspend civil liberties and to incarcerate “enemy aliens” – citizens of countries or empires legally at war with Canada.

Under the authority of The War Measures Act, Canada interned 8,579 such men, women and children – invited by Ottawa to settle the country and, in some cases, born here – in 24 internment camps from 1914 and 1920. Another 80,000 were forced to register regularly with police officials.  The majority of the affected were Ukrainians, targeted because they came from Bukovyna or Halychyna (Galicia), then provinces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

On Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, at 11 a.m. (local time), 100 plaques commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the start of Canada's first national internment operations (1914-1920) were unveiled. This project was spearheaded by the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation, and St. George’s is proud to be the location of one of these plaques. 

The construction and placement of these plaques was made possible by the generous financial support of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund. 

More information about Canada’s internment of Ukrainians during World War I may be found at www.uccla.ca.