The ongoing Reconciliation between Canada and its indigenous peoples represents an important step for the country, as it reckons with a historic legacy that frequently clashes with the progressive and humanitarian-minded values the country espouses on the world stage today. But somewhat lost in the mix is the story of a lesser-known group who while like most Canadians were also immigrants, and who like some immigrant groups faced a significant degree of hostility from a government that purported to protect them; the Doukhobors.
The Doukhobors were a group of radical, Russian pacifists who fled persecution in Russia to live communally in western Canada. The Doukhobors practiced a religion that was considered to be a radical offshoot of Eastern Christian Orthodoxy that eschewed organized institutions in favour of individual faith., More notably, they were also staunch pacifists.. These unconventional beliefs and practices did not sit well with the deeply orthodox, tsarist government of Russia in the late 19th century. Persecution at the hands of the authorities only seemed to further radicalize the sect. During the turmoil emerged Peter Verigin, who would become an important figure to the Doukhobors. He was quickly targeted by the authorities and exiled to Siberia, but that did not stop him from reaching his followers. From afar, he encouraged his followers to adopt some of their most radical positions, such as vegetarianism, communal living and abstinence from alcohol.
Facing unyielding discrimination,, the Doukhobors sought passage to Canada. They were assisted in this venture by the likes of novelist Leo Tolstoy and the similarly-persecuted Quakers in North America. Meanwhile, the Canadian government led by Wilfrid Laurier inaugurated a relatively generous immigration policy that begrudgingly accepted the need to widen the net of newcomers from outside the anglicized world and into the rest of European society. As one can imagine this was not done for egalitarian reasons, but rather due to pressure from the powerful business community to increase immigration.. In their newfound haste for new settlers to meet the demands of western expansion, the federal government was eager to accept the little-known Doukhobors . More than 7,500 sailed to Canada in 1899 settling in present-day Saskatchewan, marking the largest single mass migration in Canadian history.
The relationship between the federal government (who administered the area as a territory at the time) and the Doukhobors would soon sour however, and so Verigin would go on to lead his followers to British Columbia in 1908. This would not be the end of the trouble for the Doukhobors, as they frequently clashed with the provincial government.. A small radical splinter called Sons of Freedom would emerge, rejecting Canadian authority and seeking to remind other Doukhobors of their traditions and beliefs. They frequently employed arson, even burning but their own homes and those of other Doukhobors, along with public buildings, rail lines and schools in protest against perceived interference by the provincial government. This and a whole host of other concerns, most prominently their strident pacifism, led the federal government to disenfranchise the Doukhobors with the Wartimes Election Act.
The Sons of Freedom would face severe punishment for their actions, with their children seized by the RCMP to be schooled at a compound in New Denver, BC. The official reason given was that the children were not attending school, but it has often been speculated that political motivations played a part, especially given Canada’s history with indigenous residential schools.
Some children would remain in New Denver for as long as six years. In 2012, Around 100 former residents fought for an apology similar to that given to indigenous people by the Harper government in 2008. This group, who call themselves the New Denver Survivors Collective, say they experienced psychological, physical and sexual abuse in New Denver. The accounts of former residents starkly mirror those of residential school victims, saying they were punished for speaking their own language, with their cultural practices banned as well. The collective argued before the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal that the government unfairly refused to apologize, but no such apology or reparations have so far been forthcoming. . Many survivors have pointed to their time in New Denver as the principal cause of their alcoholism, lost marriages and other personal problems..
It could be argued that Doukhobors’ difficulty adjusting to Canadian life is a direct symptom of disastrous policy decisions that were made in Canada early last century. This is not a new idea, as lately in the public discourse there has been discussion about how Canada should reconcile with residential schools and the treatment of other marginalized minority groups. Reconciliation is something new to Canadian discourse, and it stills has much work to do to fix the historical inequalities in our society. Throughout history Canadian authorities have ignored, or worse, attacked culture differences towards some of our nation’s marginalized groups. Canada has built a reputation as a nation of optimism, multiculturalism and tolerance, but part of honouring that legacy is addressing the fact that has not always been the case.
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