A new travelling exhibit, Lost Liberties: The War Measures Act, at the Sidney Museum & Archives, explores the hardships brought upon minorities due to the act. The exhibit runs Aug. 5 to Nov. 29.
During the 20th century, the War Measures Act was enacted three times by the Canadian Government. During World War I, World War II, and the 1970 October Crisis in Quebec, the civil liberties of Canadians were suspended in the name of national security.
Lost Liberties focuses on minority groups who were targeted during these times. This includes the internment of Canadians of European origin, the forced relocation of Japanese Canadians, and the arrest of people in Quebec.
To illustrate how these injustices happened locally on the Saanich Peninsula, the museum staff created an additional display titled Displacing Differences. It will showcase information on the D’Arcy Island lazaretto, the imprisonment of Doukhobors on Piers Island, Japanese Canadians who were forcibly uprooted from Sidney, and the forced displacement of W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples.
“Lost Liberties provides us with a unique opportunity to share historically under-represented narratives”, said Michael Goodchild, executive director of the Sidney Museum in a press release. “The impact of the War Measures Act over the 20th century is not widely known, and we are honoured to pair the exhibit’s national perspective along with examples closer to home.”
Lost Liberties: The War Measures Act is a travelling exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of History and supported by a grant for the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.
