Lost Liberties — The War Measures Act
About this travelling exhibition
An exhibition developed by the Canadian Museum of History and generously supported by a grant from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.
What happens when personal freedoms come into conflict with national security?
Exploring the suspension of civil liberties in Canada during the First World War, the Second World War, and the 1970 October Crisis, Lost Liberties — The War Measures Act sheds new light on the enduring impact of the Act on Canada and its people.
The travelling exhibition examines the internment of Canadians of Ukrainian origin and other nationalities during the First World War, the internment of Italian Canadians and the internment and forced relocation of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War, and the arrest of hundreds of people in Quebec during the 1970 October Crisis.
Lost Liberties probes the crises that drove these tragic events, and features poignant first-hand accounts from the men, women and children who lived through them.
Photo:
The Department of Militia and Defence provided two thousand guards to oversee internee work units.
Glenbow Archives, NC-54-4336 Archives and Special Collections, University of Calgary
Content
34 graphic panels printed on fabric and mounted on free-standing structures.
A five-minute video of interviews with people affected by the War Measures Act, with comments by the exhibition curators.
Space required
Approximately 70 m² (750 ft²)
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