Canada’s British Columbia (BC) Ombudsperson welcomed on Tuesday the government’s commitment to compensate survivors of the province’s internment of members of the Doukhobor religious community in the 1950s. However, the office raised concerns about the compensation plan, citing inadequate consultation with survivors and unclear eligibility criteria.
BC Ombudsperson Jay Chalke criticized the government’s communications strategy, stating that the lack of clear plan has resulted in “inconsistent and unclear communication” with survivors of the internment and descendants. He noted:
I am disappointed that government has made decisions without adequately consulting with the community and has not shared information about its decisions in a clear and accessible way. What makes this especially surprising is that government is well-versed in communicating compensation programs arising from events that occurred many years ago. For example, contrast this with government’s much clearer approach in its 2018 compensation program for pre-1974 residents of Woodlands.
The Ombudsperson highlighted that the lack of clear communication has resulted in confusion over eligibility criteria, compensation processes, and deadlines. There were also concerns about how compensation might affect other fixed-income programs and taxes for survivors. Chalke called for consistent compensation amount for all survivors and stressed the ned 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 funding would be provided for survivors, focusing on 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” sect in a facility in New Denver. The children were denied the right to practice their faith and culture and were subject to emotional and physical abuse. 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. They emphasize the inherent spiritual spark within each individual person rather than adherence to Russian orthodox practice. The Sons of Freedom sect engaged in frequent civil disobedience, most notably nude protests and damaging of public infrastructure, which spurred the government to arrest and forcibly confine many of the sect’s adherents.
