Government of Canada recognizes National Historic Significance of social advocate Lillian Bilsky Freiman

Freiman was the first Jewish Canadian to be inducted into the Order of the British Empire

October 11, 2018                        Ottawa, Ontario                             Parks Canada Agency

A Jewish Canadian organizer, activist, and benefactor, Lillian Bilsky Freiman  dedicated her life to community service and worked tirelessly to improve the health and welfare of Canadians through her charitable efforts. Volunteering to help raise funds for Canadian veterans after the First World War, she made the first Canadian poppies in her living room, earning her the moniker “Poppy Lady”.

Today Stéphane Lauzon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, commemorated the national historic significance of Lillian Bilsky Freiman with a special ceremony to unveil a plaque at the Army Officer’s Mess, her former home. The announcement was made on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna.

Born into a large family in Mattawa, Ontario, Freiman applied her religious and community-oriented upbringing into lifelong social activism. In the early 20th century, Freiman transformed the Hadassah-WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organization) into one of the most influential women’s organisations in Canada. In the 1920s and 1930s, Freiman worked to organise support for Jewish orphans in Europe, helping to bring many children from Polish Ukraine to Canada, and in 1934 became an advocate to help Jewish children escape persecution in Nazi Germany.

In addition to her work with religious organisations, Freiman was an active advocate for other civic initiatives and organisations. The Canadian Red Cross, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the Girl Guides, and the Roman Catholic Institut Jeanne d'Arc are just some of the organisations that received her assistance. A supporter of Canada’s First World War veterans, Freiman started Canada’s annual poppy fundraising campaign by making Canada’s first poppies in her home in 1921.

In 1934, when His Majesty, King George V conferred Freiman the rank and decoration of the Order of the British Empire for her community work, service to returned soldiers, and leadership in Jewish charitable organizations, she became the first Jewish Canadian to be inducted into the Order of the British Empire.

The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant people, places, and events that shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians and youth connect with their past. The commemoration process is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,000 designations have been made.

The Government of Canada is celebrating families with free admission to Parks Canada’s places for youth 17 and under, and free admission for one year for new Canadian citizens, starting in 2018 and beyond. We invite Canadians to learn more about our history – from lighthouses to battlefields, historic neighbourhoods to Indigenous contributions to Canada, there is an amazing array of places and stories to discover.