Who We Are

 These are the robes of a prosecutor in the war crimes tribunals held in the Hague in the aftermath of the Yugoslavian civil war.

In her role as chief prosecutor, Louise Arbour was relentless in her pursuit of justice, and in dealing with men who had chosen to commit atrocities.

Canada enjoys a good reputation in the world, from decades of being ourselves.

Displayed together is a backpack and passport belonging to one of us. Sean Mannion is one of many Canadians who have traveled the world, and encountered the well wishes of others. That maple leaf on a backpack speaks for itself.

It was time to get going. I always take a shot of the roof of St. Onuphrius.

The path is lined with large scale photographs of life across Canada. Some are location specific, but many are universal for Canadians. Put simply- this is who we are.

Humanitarian

 Humanitarian aid goes hand in hand with human rights. The World University Service of Canada established Girls Clubs in developing countries around the world to help girls along in life.

Christine Briand was an RCMP officer seconded to peacekeeper duty in Haiti in 2010 when that country was devastated by an earthquake. She took part in rebuilding an orphanage. People from her hometown raised money to help the country recover. This is part of being Canadian- lending a hand, particularly in a disaster, whether it's with money or with expertise.

Lester Pearson was one of our greatest prime ministers, but before his tenure in that role, he was the foreign minister. He and Dag Hammarskjold, the UN Secretary General, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the concept of using neutral soldiers as peacekeepers to resolve the Suez Crisis.

Mark Isfeld was a Canadian soldier serving as a peacekeeper in the former Yugoslavia, clearing mines. His mother knitted little dolls which he gave to children. He was killed while clearing mines in 1994, but the tradition of "Izzy" dolls continues today.

Robert Semeniuk is a photojournalist who has documented conflict around the world. Among other things, he has documented the damage caused by landmines. The Canadian government under Jean Chretien took the initiative in the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, or Ottawa Treaty, which aims to stop the use of landmines.

This is the uniform of Lt. Colonel Pat Stogran, who commanded soldiers in Afghanistan and later became the first veterans ombudsman.

Louise Arbour led the international prosecution team looking into war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. She would later serve as a Supreme Court judge, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Human Rights

 Women's rights, particularly gender discrimination and violence, are explored. The Ecole Polytechnique massacre of December 1989, in which fourteen women were murdered, had a huge effect on the country.

The Roseland Theatre in Nova Scotia became the focal point of a human rights complaint back in the 40s. There was no law in the province for racial equality, and so private businesses could practice segregation if they wanted. In 1946, Viola Desmond, who owned a beauty parlour in Halifax, was in town and attended a movie- getting arrested for sitting in the whites only section. These days her portrait is on the Canadian ten dollar bill.

Disability rights and accomodation have evolved over time. From everyday AODA needs to those who shine on the international stage, Canadians have responded and adapted. Paralympic hockey sticks are seen here, along with a glove that has a story in and of itself. It is a glove that was used by Rick Hansen, who showed the world what a man in a wheelchair can really do.

Hansen went around the world on his wheelchair to raise money for spinal injury research, leaving a big impact on the world as a whole.

Disability adaptation includes a model for a full scale playground equipment seen here.

Human rights applies as well to around the world.

Lotta Hitschmanova was a refugee who came to Canada, where she founded the Canadian chapter of the Unitarian Service Branch and dedicated her life to working with refugees affected by war.

This is one of her uniforms.

Canadians also got involved in the fight against apartheid over successive governments- with the government of Brian Mulroney becoming even more assertive to convince the world to bring economic sanctions upon South Africa as a tool. Whatever else he was as a prime minister, it's something about him that I respect. It meant disagreeing with his allies, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, both of whom wanted to go slower.

Nelson Mandela was made an honorary citizen of the country right here at the Museum. With Canadians so vocal in the fight to end apartheid, he had a warm relationship with the country as a result.

High Tensions

 In 1980, the country saw a referendum in Quebec, triggered by the separatist government under Rene Levesque. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau led the side against the question of separation. This editorial cartoon pretty much personifies their relationship.

Here we have Trudeau and Levesque giving speeches in the run up to the referendum, with pauses in the video as the other person takes over. The effect is as though they're debating in the same room. In the end, the referendum was defeated.

A Conservative government under Brian Mulroney attempted to amend the Constitution with the provincial and territorial premiers, through the Meech Lake Accord to alleviate the concerns that had led to the referendum in the first place. In the end, the Accord failed.

1995 saw another referendum on the issue of Quebec separation. It was narrowly defeated- the closest the country ever came to coming apart.

Francophone communities are found throughout the country, and the nation is officially bilingual.

The next section focuses on human rights, and the country has evolved over time to embrace them, from voting rights to citizenship to discrimination

This is the work of an artist, Laila Binbrek, called Mirror Mirror. It has two sides of a dressing table, with her dual identities represented- western on the one side and middle eastern on the other.