The Un-Canadians: True Stories of the Blacklist Era

Joe Cherwinski is a history professor at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland.

The subtitle is deceiving because it hints at revelations reminiscent of
supermarket tabloids. Instead, this collection of vignettes, many from
actual participants, is a strikingly poignant martyrology describing the
experiences of the victims of the Cold War in Canada. Some were well
known, like folk singer Oscar Brand and poet Irving Layton, while most
were not. Their combined stories portray a particularly dark period in
Canadian history after World War II when fear and suspicion triumphed
over reason and the individual rights of many citizens suffered
considerable damage.

Soviet cipher-clerk Igor Gouzenko first revealed a network of Soviet
spies operating throughout North America and Europe. The McCarthy
hearings on “un-American activities” in the United States confirmed
the depth of the “Red scare” on both sides of the border as the
“free world” withdrew into a shell of fear and suspicion. In
response, security authorities instituted a systematic campaign against
almost anyone they suspected of harboring sympathies for alternative
ideologies. The accounts Scher collected are by and about the civil
servants, artists, union leaders, students, writers, scientists,
academics, musicians, and just ordinary citizens who paid the price.

The book reveals that many Canadians still feel anger and frustration
at the way they were treated. Most disturbing are the stories of people
like “Lottie,” who (fearing retributions) refused to reveal her
identity even now. Yet a surprising number of the accounts appear quite
dispassionate, indicating that healing is well under way. While The
Un-Canadians is a necessary reminder that we were not immune from
questionable activities, the book also shows that, with time, the Cold
War will slip into the obscurity it deserves.