The John Diefenbaker House in Prince Albert. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Keaton Brown

Learn from the past

A piece of Canadian history on display at Western Development Museum

Nov 14, 2019 | 5:07 PM

Battlefords residents have the chance to experience an important part of Canadian history at the Western Development Museum.

A new travelling exhibit called One Canada: Diefenbaker’s Vision is currently on display. The exhibit is produced by the Diefenbaker Canada Centre and explores John G. Diefenbaker’s goal to create an equitable country that derives strength from diversity.

Manager Joyce Smith said it uncovers lesser-known personal, humanizing and sometimes surprising stories about the life of Canada’s thirteenth prime minister.

Smith said One Canada: Diefenbaker’s Vision is a really well put together exhibit that is full of Diefenbaker’s and Canada’s history for everyone to enjoy.

“We have artifacts, personal artifacts from Diefenbaker. We have some replicas and a lot of newspaper articles and that type of things,” she said.

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The exhibit is full of information and Smith said even she has managed to learn some new things about the former prime minister.

“Diefenbaker, in 1941 during the war, spoke out against the internment of Japanese Canadians, which was against the popular opinion of the time,” she said. “When Diefenbaker was elected he actually appointed the first indigenous senator to the senate. It was interesting because at that time they didn’t have the vote so we had senator sitting in power who could not vote for two years.”

The exhibit is on display now and will be available for viewing until April 17, 2020. Smith said exhibits like this one are a great way for people to expose themselves to more Canadian history.

“Travelling exhibits are a wonderful opportunity to share information and artifacts from other institutions that we can’t focus on the whole time with our limited room; these traveling exhibits are just wonderful. I think it is very important for Canadians to realize their history. Diefenbaker was one of our own and it is important that people learn this information,” she said.

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Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow