Canadian First World War
Internment Recognition Fund
Fonds canadien de reconnaissance de l'internement durant
la première guerre mondiale
-
Applying for a Grant
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Annual ReportsDownload the Reports
from 2009 to 2018. -
Map of Internment CampsDownload the map and list
of internment camps here. -
Request a LectureApply here to
request a lecture.
Welcome to CFWWIRF
The Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund exists to support projects that commemorate and recognize the experiences of all of the ethno-cultural communities affected by Canada's first national internment operations of 1914-1920.
Fonds canadien de reconnaissance de l'internement durant la Première Guerre mondiale a pour but d'appuyer des projets visant à commémorer et à reconnaître les expériences vécues par les communautés ethnoculturelles touchées par la première opération nationale d'internement menée au Canada de 1914 à 1920.
The Camps, Season 2, Episode #15, Ottawa, Ontario
Address delivered by Ivan T. Grbešić, Chair of the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund at the Preview of the
Canadian History Hall at the Canadian Museum of History
on June 12, 2017
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Bonjour mesdames et monsieurs.
Dobar dan, dame i gospodo.
Greetings as well to their Excellences, diplomatic representatives, elected officials of all levels of government, and members of the clergy, who are here with us today, most of whom were introduced.
I would like to thank the Canadian Museum of History and its President and CEO, Mark O’Neill for providing me with the opportunity to address you here today in my capacity as Chair of the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.
Click here to read the entire address (PDF).
Address delivered by Ivan T. Grbesic, Chair of the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund at the Vernon Pleasant Valley Cemetery Internee Remembrance Ceremony on
Saturday, May 23, 2015.
Good
morning
ladies
and
gentlemen,
Bonjour
mesdames
et
monsieurs,
Dobar
dan,
dame
i
gospodo.
What a beautiful day for such a solemn occasion. While we are honoured to have had in attendance with us today Minister Jason Kenney, it is also great to see and to be able to greet such a large number of elected officials, and members of the clergy, who are here today.
Click here to read the entire address (PDF).
Stamps Commemorating 100th Anniversary of Canada's First Internment Operations Now Available
16 December 2014 - Ottawa - The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is pleased to announce that a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of Canada's First National Internment Operations is available for purchase.
Click here to read the entire media release.
Address by the Hon. Jason Kenney at the National
Internment Exhibit Official Opening
Slave Labour, in Unthinkable Conditions
Address delivered by the Hon. Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development and Minister for Multiculturalism at the Opening Ceremony of the National Internment Exhibit at Cave and Basin National Historic Site, Banff, AB on September 13, 2013.
Dobray Den, na vsa dobra; Dobar dan.
Good afternoon, Bonjour.
Your Grace, Your Excellency, Reverend Fathers.
Member of Parliament, James Bezan, Senator Tannas,
Your Worship, Fellow Canadians, Dear Friends.
Today we realize the sacred duty what the great chronicler of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel said was the most sacred duty that echoes down to us from the bible, the moral duty to remember. "To remember the good of which we have been blessed and the evil that we have suffered."
Click here to read the entire address (PDF).
National Internment Exhibit Opening - Address by
Ivan T. Grbešić, Chair of the CFWWIRF
Photos courtesy of Frank Jankač
Address delivered by Ivan T. Grbešić, Chair of the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund at the Opening Ceremony of the Internment Exhibit at Cave and Basin in Banff, Alberta on September 13, 2013:
Good
afternoon,
ladies
and
gentlemen.
Bonjour
mesdames
et
monsieurs.
Dobar
dan,
dame
i
gospodo.
Greetings
as
well
to
Minister
Kenney,
their
Excellencies,
diplomatic
representatives,
elected
officials
of
all
levels
of
government,
and
members
of
the
clergy,
who
are
here
with
us
today,
most
of
whom
were
introduced.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
I
want
to
begin
by
first
thanking
Parks
Canada
for
providing
me,
as
Chair
of
the
Endowment
Council
of
the
Canadian
First
World
War
Internment
Recognition
Fund,
with
the
opportunity
to
address
you
here
today.
Click here to read the entire address (PDF).
National Internment Exhibit, Banff, Alberta
June 20, 2013
Kontakt Ukrainian Television Network
In the News
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2019
A congratulatory video from Minister Glavine on behalf of the Premier for the Grand Opening of Enemy Aliens Exhibit at Amherst, NS.
Remembering a ‘static and silent’ part of Canadian history
Amherst News
By Darrell Cole, July 28, 2019
Amherst museum gets exhibit about First World War internment camps
The Chronicle Herald
July 22, 2019
For immediate release – July 8, 2019
ENDOWMENT COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE CANADIAN FIRST WORLD WAR INTERNMENT RECOGNITION FUND MEET IN TORONTO, ONTARIO TO APPROVE GRANTS
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE APPOINTMENT OF NEW CHAIR TO THE ENDOWMENT COUNCIL OF THE CANADIAN FIRST WORLD WAR INTERNMENT RECOGNITION FUND
About CFWWIRF
The Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund was established to support projects that commemorate and recognize the experiences of all of the ethno-cultural communities affected by Canada’s first national internment operations of 1914 to 1920.
For more information on the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund contact the Program Manager, Andrea Malysh, at [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-288-7931.
Looking back at escape attempts from Amherst's WW1 internment camp
Amherst News
June 11, 2019
For immediate release
Save the Date: Opening Ceremony of Parks Canada’s Exhibit of Canada’s First World War Internment Operations, 1914 to 1920
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA – June 4, 2019 – The Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund (CFWWIRF) Parks Canada, and The Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association encourage you to save the date to attend the opening ceremony for Parks Canada’s Exhibit of Canada’s First World War Internment Operations 1914-1920.
This event will take place on Saturday June 22 at 1:00 p.m. MDT near the Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park, BC.
For immediate release – May 10, 2019
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE APPOINTMENT OF NEW INTERNEE DESCENDANT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ENDOWMENT COUNCIL OF THE CANADIAN FIRST WORLD WAR INTERNMENT RECOGNITION FUND
The Shevchenko Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Loughery to the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.
'The Stories Were Not Told: Canada's First World War Internment Camps' author Sandra Semchuk
February 7, 2019
From 1914 to 1920, thousands of men who immigrated to Canada from Europe were called 'enemy aliens' and sent to internment camps during the First World War. Some families were imprisoned as well. Sandra Semchuk explores that dark period in our history in her new book, 'The Stories Were Not Told: Canada's First World War Internment Camps' -- inspired by a stop at Castle Mountain near Banff. Sandra joined host Doug Dirks in studio.
For immediate release - February 1, 2019 Leon Trotsky and Canadian POW camps in the First World War
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, 04 February 2019
Mark Minenko
King’s College London at PhD (Law) candidate
Mark Minenko is a PhD (Law) candidate at King’s College London. His thesis topic is civilian rights during war and conflict, more specifically how emergency powers legislation during the First World War affected civil liberties in the United Kingdom and Canada. He was a Canadian barrister and solicitor for more than 30 years, served in the Canadian military reserves for over 36 years, including service in Bosnia as the assistant to the NATO Political Advisor during the NATO to EU transition period, and worked in government in legislative drafting and policy development. He was also a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Manitoba and he became a footnote in Parliamentary history in 1988 as the first member from the Opposition to be elected as a Speaker or Deputy Speaker in the Commonwealth.
UAlberta Press Announces Book Tour:
Sandra Semchuk, Photographer and Author, Talks of Internment Camps in the First World War
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / January 21, 2019
Edmonton, AB — University of Alberta Press has published an important new book by Sandra Semchuk, a photographic, text, and video artist, and the winner of a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts (2018). Semchuk will be touring Canada in the coming months to create a discussion around The Stories Were Not Told: Canada’s First World War Internment Camps.
Please click here for the press release for dates of cross-Canada tour.
2018
Ukrainian-Canadian internment operations detailed in new documentary
The Canadian Press
November 8, 2018
Sask.-raised filmmaker Boyko explores a 'shocking' Canadian history
Regina Leader-Post
By Ashley Martin, November 8, 2018
‘Yes, this happened': How Lubomyr Luciuk found out about the internment camp in his hometown
By Lubomyr Luciuk, November 8, 2018
Did you know Ukrainian Canadians were interned during the First World War?
The little known story is now the subject of a film
The Canadian Press
By Victoria Ahearn, November 7, 2018
‘That Never Happened: Canada’s First National Internment’ director talks about documentary
Global News Morning Saskatoon
November 6, 2018
Fernie marks 100th anniversary of internment camp closure
"It was hell on earth" - PhD candidate, historian reveal conditions inside camp on 100th anniversary
By Kimberley Vlasic, October 27, 2018
Ryan Boyko joins Global News Morning Calgary to talk about a documentary he directed charting Canada’s first national internment operation
Global News Morning Calgary
October 23, 2018
'That Never Happened': Documentary screening in Calgary shines light on cruel Ukrainian internment
By Jon Roe, October 22, 2018
#REVIEW That Never Happened
The Extra Mile
October 18, 2018
Discovering Rewritten History
Brandon Sun
By David McConkey, September 24, 2018
AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY, THAT NEVER HAPPENED BY RYAN BOYKO OF ARMISTICE FILMS CROSS CANADA RELEASE
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA – September 28, 2018 – The Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund (CFWWIRF) announces the cross Canada release of the documentary, That Never Happened, Canada’s First National Internment Operations.
Prisoners of the promised land
LEDEVOIR
By Catherine Lefebvre, September 8, 2018
"That never happened:" Film reveals the hidden history of Canada’s First World War internment operations
Canadian Geographic
By Katherine Lissitsa, September 6, 2018
Canadian Geographic is a magazine of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is dedicated to making Canada better known to Canadians, and the world.
Uncovering a Canadian Injustice
Canadian Museums Association
September/October 2018
Media Release: Grant will help faculty and students develop interactive virtual reality look at Brandon’s WW1 internment camp
BRANDON (Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018) – A joint project bringing together instructors and students from Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College has received a grant of nearly $30,000 to begin building a virtual reality exploration of a First World War internment camp in Brandon.
The Internment of Ukrainian Canadians During the First World War
By Patricia Grimshaw, August 11, 2018
New museum exhibit shows history of Canada's internment camps
The Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives' latest exhibit "Enemy Aliens" traveled from the Canadian War Museum and explores a part of the nation's First World War history that's not often discussed.
By Sabrina Doyle, August 8, 2018
For immediate release – June 26, 2018
ENDOWMENT COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE CANADIAN FIRST WORLD WAR INTERNMENT RECOGNITION FUND MEET IN WINNIPEG, MANITOBA TO APPROVE GRANTS
Memorial garden to offer education on Eaton Internment Camp
On Friday, May 25, the Eaton Internment Camp Memorial Garden was officially dedicated, beginning a year of remembrance for the camp
By Alexa Lawlor, May 26, 2018