A little bit of Ukrainian history…

…(& German, Austro-Hungarian) in Canada.

Way back in July 2004, I was in the middle of a 10 month long motorcycle trip through the USA and Canada, when I came across this statue, at the roadside, but miles from anywhere, in Banff National Park.

It commemorates a World War One Canadian internment camp established in July 1915 near Castle Mountain, Alberta, Canada.
Twenty-nine internment camps were established by the Canadian Government under the War Measures Act of 1914 to house interned enemy aliens, including immigrants who had not yet been naturalized. Within the camps internees were divided by class and ethnicity. “First class” internees were German officers and civilian equivalents while “second class” internees were generally Austro-Hungarian workers or laborers, mostly Ukrainians.

The last camp closed in 1920(!)

http://www.fortwiki.com/Castle_Mountain_Internment_Camp

It was something that I’d not been aware of - the interment of Japanese Americans in WW2 is well documented, but this camp from the Great War was unknown to me. It was clearly well tended, with fresh flowers in a garland on the statue’s hat. I believe it now has an interpretive sign.

The title of the statue is “Why?”

I believe I’m right in saying that Canada has the largest Ukrainian population outside of Ukraine ??