Freedom Had a Price

Warning: Depictions of war (bombing, soldiers falling, guns), treatment at internment camps. 

Brief “lesson launcher type” activity or a series of inquiry questions with a bit of context. 

This documentary first outlines the contributions of Ukrainians to the development of Western Canada, then explores how they were deemed to be “enemy aliens” during the First World War and placed in internment camps across Canada.  

The documentary notes that major catastrophic events in Canadian history have been blamed on “enemy aliens.” How might the rise of Canadian patriotism during the war have contributed to these sentiments? Where has patriotism similarly contributed to the oppression of other groups in history or in modern times? Many students do not learn about Canadian internment camps in their history education. Why do you think this is? What should change in order to ensure history education is comprehensive for all students across Canada? Should there be notices on provincial parks to acknowledge the labour of internment camp detainees in maintaining and developing these parks over the years? This documentary was released in 1994. Since then, society has developed new vocabulary and a greater understanding of systemic oppression that exists in Canada. Thinking about the “Four I’s of Oppression,” what examples do you see in the treatment of Ukrainians as described in this documentary?