A new travelling exhibit at the Galt Museum puts a human face on one of the more lamentable moments of Canadian history — the displacement of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War.

The travelling exhibit Broken Promises, co-curated by the Nikkei National Museum and the Royal British Columbia Museum in partnership with Landscapes of Injustice, is at the Galt Museum until Sept. 3.
“ It’s been at some of the major museums in Canada over the past three years so it’s very cool we get to have it here,” said curator Tyler Stewart.
The exhibit complements The Galt Museum’s existing permanent exhibit about the displacement, with artifacts and interactive displays featuring first hand accounts and old correspondence from some of the displaced and their families.
“ It’s a very powerful exhibit. It’s very detailed and well researched so it has allowed a deep dive into some of the individual stories of the people involved rather than an abstract concept,” Stewart said, adding Japanese Canadians made a long standing contributions to the country before the Second World War.
“ Japanese Canadians are an important part of Southern Alberta history,” he continued, noting their property was confiscated and either sent back to Japan or sent west, where many of them were driving force in agriculture production, particularly on sugar beet farms.
“These interactive exhibits tell the stories and experiences of the Japanese people,” he said.
“ There are a lot of different ways to engage with this exhibit,” he continued.