The Cold War, many historians assert, began with the defection of Igor Gouzenko in Ottawa in September 1945. His defection symbolized the crumbling of the wartime alliance, and the emergence of a new era of global conflict.

In Canada, the defection had far more immediate consequences . The federal government invoked wartime powers to detain, interrogate and prosecute several suspected communist spies. Habeas corpus was suspended; people were arrested and interrogated by the police for weeks without access to legal counsel; suspects were trapped in tiny cells and held under suicide watch by an RCMP guard at all times; and reputations were sullied as a result of the stigma attached to being associated with an act of treason. The episode was one of the most (in)famous violations of civil liberties in Canadian history.

There are five key sections in this part of the site. The overview will provide a brief narrative history of the defection, the espionage commission and the subsequent spy trials. On the right side of the page you will see four additional buttons. Chronology is a summary of the key events as they unfolded between 1945-1946. Sentences is a list of the results of the spy trials (prosecution of individuals accused by the espionage commission of providing the Russians with top-secret information). Key figures is a series of mini-biographies of the central figures in these events. Primary is a link to a rich collection of primary documents relating to Gouzenko and the commission.

The Gouzenko defection ultimately led to the formation of several civil liberties organizations. A brief history of human rights advocacy during this period is available as well: First Generation (refer to the navigation bar on the left side of the page).

Further Reading provides a current list on articles and books on this topic.

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