Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times: Italian Canadian Experiences During WWII
Italian Canadians, now considered a successful and important part of Canada’s multicultural identity, were once considered enemies of the state. On June 10, 1940, Italy declared war on Great Britain and her allies; in reaction, the Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King declared as “enemy aliens” an estimated 31,000 Italian Canadians considered a threat to the safety of Canada.
These individuals were fingerprinted, photographed, and ordered to report monthly to the RCMP and local authorities. Those considered most dangerous, around 600, were sent to three internment camps in Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick for a period of up to five years. Though lives were disrupted and reputations damaged, not one internee would be of officially charged with a crime in a court of law.
Drawing from a series of oral histories collected between 2010 and 2012, “Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Times: Italian Canadian Experiences During World War II” conveys the personal stories of a cross-section of Italian Canadians, including internees and their families, neighbours and fellow community members, and helps demonstrate the varied and far-reaching effects of that period of time.
To visit the official website and digital archive, see www.ItalianCanadianww2.ca
Location: Joseph D. Carrier Gallery, Upper Gallery/Alberto DiGiovanni Library (2nd Floor)
Gallery Hours and Admission: Exhibit is currently closed for conservation. Please stay tuned for more information about the exhibit.
For more information contact:
Cultural Arts Department
Tel: 416-789-7011 Ext 248
For more info on the Italian Canadian Experiences During WWII project, go to italiancanadianww2.ca.
To book this travelling exhibit for your museum/organization, contact us!
Riflessi: Italian Canadian internment Memorial by Harley Valentine (located in the Villa Colombo gardens at Dufferin and Lawrence Ave. West)
RCMP Plant a Tree to Remember the Internment of Italian-Canadians
On September 18, at an official ceremony in Ottawa attended by children and grandchildren of internees, the RCMP formally acknowledged its role in executing the coerced removal and encampment of 600 men of Italian origin.
For full coverage of the ceremony from CBC, please click here.
Beyond Barbed Wire: Essays on the interment of Italian Canadians. Pick up your free copy from the Cultural Arts department or download it from here.
416-789-7011 Ext. 244/248