Velma Demerson (right) and her family, in an undated photo. In 1939, Demerson was incarcerated in Ontario for wanting to pursue a mixed-race relationship with a Chinese-Canadian. Her experience in prison is eerily similar to the treatment of Ashley Smith, whose guards watched her commit suicide in an Ontario prison more than six decades later.
by Wilfrid Laurier PressThe Dominion is a monthly paper published by an incipient network of independent journalists in Canada. It aims to provide accurate, critical coverage that is accountable to its readers and the subjects it tackles. Taking its name from Canada's official status as both a colony and a colonial force, the Dominion examines politics, culture and daily life with a view to understanding the exercise of power.