New stamp draws attention to history of civilian internment in Canada
Thousands of people forcibly confined and denied civil liberties during both world wars
OTTAWA, ON, July 17, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada Post today unveiled a new stamp aimed at exploring the history of civilian internment in Canada.
During both the First and Second World Wars, the Canadian government organized large-scale civilian internment operations, during which thousands of people were unjustly interned in camps across the country. Tens of thousands more had their freedoms restricted in the name of national security. Some of these measures continued into peacetime.
Canada Post hopes today's stamp issue will raise awareness about this history and the resilience of the people and communities whose lives were profoundly affected by this forced displacement, confinement and hardship. It also reminds us of our responsibility to learn from the past.
First World War
In the opening month of the First World War, the federal government passed the War Measures Act, which gave Cabinet sweeping powers to suspend civil liberties, including the right to a fair trial before detention.
More than 8,500 men were held at internment camps and receiving stations across Canada. This included people from:
- the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including more than 5,000 Ukrainians, as well as Croats, Czechs, Hungarians, Jews, Poles, Romanians, Serbs, Slovaks and Slovenes;
- the Ottoman Empire, including Armenians and Turks;
- the German Empire; and
- Kingdom of Bulgaria.
More than 200 women and children voluntarily joined their male relatives in internment. People experiencing homelessness and unemployment, conscientious objectors and members of outlawed political groups, especially socialists, were also interned.
Detainees lived in austere and at times harsh conditions. Some were forced to work on labour-intensive projects. More than 100 died. Some died from disease, injury and suicide. Others were shot trying to escape. Many were buried in unmarked graves.
Another 80,000 people, mostly Ukrainian, were forced to register as "enemy aliens," including the Canadians with parents who had immigrated from a country at war with Canada. "Enemy aliens" were forced to regularly report to authorities and had many of their rights restricted.
Second World War
The War Measures Act was once again invoked one week before the start of the Second World War. This gave the government the power to detain anyone believed to be a threat to the public or the state.
As many as 24,000 people were interned in camps across the country – sometimes alongside enemy prisoners of war. They included German Canadians, Italian Canadians and Japanese Canadians. Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria were also detained alongside socialists, conscientious objectors and other "subversives."
As in the First World War, many people were also required to register with the government. More than 20,000 Japanese – the majority Canadian citizens – were forced from their homes on the West Coast. Their property was confiscated and later sold by the government.
The War Measures Act remained in effect until December 31, 1945, though legal restrictions against Japanese Canadians weren't lifted until April 1949.
About the stamp
The stamp features bilingual vertical text in red against a grey background, with barbed wire over the words that captures the gloom and fear of Canada's internment camps. The stamp was designed by Underline Studio and printed by Colour Innovations. The issue includes six Permanent™ stamps and an Official First Day Cover. The cancel site is Petawawa, Ont., where an internment camp operated during both world wars.
Stamp products are available at canadapost.ca and at select postal outlets across Canada.
For resources, including links to images of the stamp and other products:
- Access external folder with high-resolution images
- Read the Canada Post magazine article
- Social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
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SOURCE Canada Post
For more information: Media Relations, 613-734-8888, [email protected]
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