Peace – The Exhibition vividly illustrates Canadians’ diverse actions and choices for peace

Ottawa, Ontario, May 30, 2013 — Peace.  We negotiate to obtain and protect it. We organize and demonstrate to call for it. Sometimes, we even fight to achieve it. Opening tomorrow at the Canadian War Museum, Peace – The Exhibition is the first major Canadian exhibition to explore the rich diversity of Canadians’ choices and actions for peace and how these actions have been a shaping force in Canada’s history.

“This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to experience the stories of Canadians in diverse and sometimes conflicting roles in pursuit of peace,” said James Whitham, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “By learning about Canadians as combatants, peacekeepers, activists, diplomats, humanitarians and more, visitors will gain insights into a complex and nuanced subject.”

Peace – The Exhibition focuses on twelve historical episodes, from ancient times right up to the present. These are presented within three broad themes: Organize, Negotiate and Intervene.

Visitors will encounter more than 300 evocative artifacts, with over half sourced from the rich national collections of the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Examples include the clock retrieved by Setsuko Thurlow from her home in Hiroshima after it had been bombed. She later relocated to Toronto, and was eventually awarded the Order of Canada for her lifetime of activism against nuclear weapons. Or the the iconic blue beret worn by Chief Warrant Officer H.F. Stevens from Calgary, Alberta, as a member of the first UN Peacekeeping force, United Nations Emergency Force 1. And a Victoria Cross medal, the highest military honour for British and Commonwealth forces, awarded to Canadian stretcher-bearer Private John Francis Young, for fearlessly assisting wounded men near Dury in France on September 2, 1918.

The exhibition also encourages visitors to reflect about what peace means to them, and to share their views within the exhibition and through social media channels.

Peace – The Exhibition is presented at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa from May 31, 2013 to January 5, 2014. A wide range of public programming is being offered in conjunction with the exhibition. For details, please consult the backgrounder or visit warmuseum.ca. The War Museum wishes to thank Embassy, Canada’s foreign policy newspaper, for their media support.

The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions.

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