Canada’s British Columbia (BC) Ombudsperson welcomed on Tuesday the government’s commitment to compensate survivors of the province’s internment of a Doukhobor sect in the 1950s. However, the office raised concerns about the compensation plan, citing inadequate consultation with survivors and unclear eligibility criteria. The BC Ombudsperson’s office detailed these concerns in a statement.
BC Ombudsperson Jay Chalke criticized the government’s communications strategy, stating that the government’s lack of a clear plan has resulted in “inconsistent and unclear communication” with survivors of the internment and their descendants. He emphasized that the government has made decisions without adequately consulting with the affected community and has not provided clear and accessible information about its decisions.
The Ombudsperson highlighted that the lack of clear communication has resulted in confusion over eligibility criteria, the compensation process, and deadlines. There were also concerns about how compensation might affect other fixed-income programs and taxes for survivors. Chalke called for a consistent compensation amount for all survivors and stressed the need to allocate adequate funds within the “recognition package” for individual compensation.
In February, BC Premier David Eby issued a formal apology in the Legislature to the Sons of Freedom sect and the broader Doukhobor community, acknowledging the harm caused by the internment. He outlined a $10 million compensation package aimed at addressing these historical injustices. However, the apology stated that some of the funding would be allocated for survivors’ counselling and wellness initiatives, but offered no specific details on when or how these allocations would be made.
Between 1953 and 1959, the BC government forcibly confined more than 200 Doukhobor children from the Sons of Freedom movement in a facility in New Denver. The children were subjected to emotional and physical abuse and were denied the right to practice their faith and culture. Although the BC government issued a statement of regret in 2004, the Ombudsperson deemed this insufficient.
The Doukhobors are a minority religious group that migrated to Canada in the late 1800s after facing persecution in the Russian Empire. The Sons of Freedom sect engaged in frequent civil disobedience, including nude protests and damaging public infrastructure, which spurred the government to arrest and forcibly confine many of the sect’s adherents.
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