IN MEMORIAM: Mary Manko Haskett, 1908-2007
The Ukrainian Canadian community mourns the passing of the last known survivor of Canada's first national internment operations, Mary Manko Haskett, who died peacefully, in Mississauga, Ontario, 14 July 2007. Born in Montreal to a Ukrainian immigrant family, Mary was just six years old when she was transported into the Abitibi region of Quebec, interned with the rest of her family as "enemy aliens" in the Spirit Lake (La Ferme) concentration camp. Her younger sister, Nellie, died there. Thousands of Ukrainians and other Europeans were unjustly imprisoned, not because of anything they had done but only because of who they were, where they came from. Forced to do heavy labour for the profit of their jailers, what little wealth they had was confiscated, and they were subjected to many other state-sanctioned censures, including disenfranchisement.
Mary Manko served as the honourary chairwoman of the National Redress Council of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association. She asked only that what happened to her, and so many others, be remembered and that the contemporary value of the internee's confiscated wealth and labour be placed into a community-administered endowment fund and used for commemorative and educational initiatives that would help make sure that no other Canadian ethnic, religious or racial minority ever suffered as Ukrainian Canadians once did. Mary never asked for, nor wanted, an apology from the Government of Canada, nor did she favour compensation to victims of the internment operations, or their descendants. The fair and honourable position Mary took became that of the Ukrainian Canadian community.
Despite the Royal Assent given to Bill C 331 - The Internment of Persons of Ukrainian Origin Recognition Act (25 November 2005), and the Honorable Stephen Harper's endorsement of that private member's Bill in the House of Commons, 24 March 2005, the Government of Canada has yet to fulfill its legal obligation to negotiate a Ukrainian Canadian Redress and Reconciliation Settlement with the designated representatives of the Ukrainian Canadian community.
We promised Mary that, sooner or later, we would see justice done. We regret that she will not now be a witness to the righting of the historical injustice done to her and so many other innocents.
Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association
Ukrainian Canadian Congress
Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko
