Canada’s First National Internment Operations, 1914–1920

The Camps is a teaching guide that uses documentary film to raise critical awareness among secondary school students about the largely unknown story of Canada’s First National Internment Operations. Featuring a critical inquiry approach and historical thinking concepts, this collection of six flexible lessons and related learning materials complements the documentary film series The Camps, created by Ryan Boyko.

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Watch Season 1 of The Camps

Watch Season 2 of The Camps

Recognizing an Historic Injustice seeks to raise critical awareness among secondary school students about the largely unknown story of Canada’s First National Internment Operations. The publication is an attempt to recognize those who suffered from this injustice and, through greater awareness, ensure that similar injustices are less likely to be to be repeated.

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Developing Understanding through the Arts is a unit for students in grades 4 to 9 that explores the experiences of Ukrainian and other European immigrants to Canada in the late 1800s and early 1900s and the impacts of internment on individuals, families and communities. The lesson plans in this resource are self-contained, each focusing on developing understanding through the use of a related art form.

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This collection of lessons and source documents uses the historical thinking concepts of cause and consequence and historical perspective to explore the causes of Canada’s First National Internment Operations. Also featured in this collection are “ready-to-post” learning materials for students to use during independent and/or online learning.

This video considers who or what influenced history and what were the repercussions of these changes (6:20 minutes)

This video discusses the viewing of the past through the social, intellectual, emotional and ethical lenses of the time (5:53 minutes)

This collection of lessons and source documents uses the historical thinking concept of evidence and interpretation to examine the conditions of the internment camps. Also featured in this collection are “ready-to-post” learning materials for students to use during independent and/or online learning.

This video introduces the validation, interpretation and use of primary and secondary sources of historical information in the construction of historical accounts and arguments (6:55 minutes)

This collection of lessons and source documents uses the historical thinking concept of continuity and change to examine the effects of the internment on internees and their communities. Also featured in this collection are “ready-to-post” learning materials for students to use during independent and/or online learning.

This video explains how lives and conditions are alike over periods of time and how they changed for people and societies that came before and after (6:19 minutes)

This lesson uses the historical thinking concept of ethical judgment to assess the adequacy of government responses to Canada’s First National Internment Operations. Also featured in this collection are “ready-to-post” learning materials for students to use during independent and/or online learning.

This video explores assessing the past and the implications of past actions in light of past and present norms about the appropriate treatment of others (6:53 minutes)

This collection of lessons uses the concept of historical significance to determine what about Canada’s First National Internment Operations should be remembered, researched, taught and learned. Also featured in this collection are “ready-to-post” learning materials for students to use during independent and/or online learning.

This video introduces students to the factors that determine what and who from the past should be remembered, researched, taught and learned (7:14 minutes)

This project has been made possible by a grant from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.

On 25 November 2005 MP Inky Mark’s private member’s Bill C-331, Internment of Persons of Ukrainian Origin Recognition Act, received Royal Assent. Following negotiations with the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko, the Government of Canada established the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund, 9 May 2008, to support commemorative and educational initiatives that recall what happened during Canada’s First National Internment Operations of 1914-1920.