47 Facts About Emma Woikin

Emma Woikin was a Canadian civil servant who, in 1946, was convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union.

Emma Woikin was sentenced to two-and-a-half years at Kingston Penitentiary, becoming the first woman imprisoned for espionage in Canada.

Emma Woikin's parents were Doukhobors who had fled Russia in 1899 and her family spoke Russian in the home.

Emma Woikin's mother died when Woikin was 15 following a series of strokes.

Emma Woikin excelled in school and, at the age of 12, she completed grade eight, the highest level of schooling offered by the local schoolhouse.

In 1937, at the age of 16, Emma Woikin married William "Bill" Emma Woikin, a Doukhobor from Langham.

Emma Woikin became pregnant in her second year of marriage.

Emma Woikin had only 75 cents at the time of his death.

Bill Emma Woikin had not sought medical treatment due to the cost and Canada's lack of free health care at the time and, consequently, Emma Woikin blamed the Canadian health care system for her husband's death.

For six months following her husband's death, Emma Woikin found herself too weak to work.

Emma Woikin eventually moved to Marcelin where she stayed briefly at a convent.

Emma Woikin continued her education, studying typing, bookkeeping, and stenography and, by the end of her first year in Marcelin, completed a two-year commercial course.

Emma Woikin worked as a cipher clerk, coding and decoding cables to and from London and Washington.

Emma Woikin developed a fascination with Russia and became an avid reader of Leo Tolstoy's works.

On May 1,1944, May Day in the Soviet Union, Emma Woikin attended a dinner party where she met Major Vsevolod Sokolov, a Russian army officer from the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa, and his wife Lida Sokolov.

When Emma Woikin learned that the Soviet Embassy sometimes recruited Canadians to serve various functions, she submitted an application.

However, when Sokolov consulted his superiors, the reply was that Emma Woikin was too valuable where she was.

Emma Woikin responded that she would consider the matter, but scoffed at the idea of accepting money in return.

Emma Woikin called Sokolov two days later, accepting his proposition.

Emma Woikin began passing messages to the Sokolovs in late May 1945.

Emma Woikin would take decoded messages received at the Department of External Affairs and commit them to memory.

When Emma Woikin arrived home, she discovered the envelope contained $50, nearly a month's salary for her.

Emma Woikin used the money to purchase a train ticket to Blaine Lake, her first visit to her hometown since arriving in Ottawa nearly two years earlier.

Rather than meet Lida in person, Emma Woikin was instructed by telephone to tape her transcribed notes to the underside of a toilet cover in a dentist's office across from the Lord Elgin Hotel.

Emma Woikin spent two nights per week studying mathematics and English literature.

Furthermore, Emma Woikin was a particular embarrassment since he was serving as Secretary of State for External Affairs and her activities had taken place under his watch.

Emma Woikin was held in a military barracks at Rockcliffe and was denied access to her family or a lawyer.

Emma Woikin was one of the first to be targeted for interrogation.

Emma Woikin was shown the four transcribed cables Gouzenko had turned over.

Emma Woikin admitted she had written them and told the interrogating officer everything about her involvement with Sokolov.

Emma Woikin's newborn child apparently died of lack of medical care and her husband committed suicide.

Emma Woikin was not informed that she would face criminal charges or that her testimony could later be used against her.

Emma Woikin was questioned about her relationship with Sokolov, her application to transfer to the Canadian embassy in Moscow, her attempt to procure Soviet citizenship, and the August 1945 incident where she left the transcribed cables in the toilet tank.

Emma Woikin was charged with two counts of violating the Official Secrets Act: conspiracy to provide secret information to the Soviet Union and having provided the information.

Emma Woikin wore no hat and her hair looked as if it had not been combed for days.

Emma Woikin told her this was a serious charge and she was entitled to have a lawyer or ask for a remand.

Emma Woikin shook her head and said, "I did it" to everything that was said to her.

Emma Woikin was sent to the Ottawa Jail pending a bail hearing where she was granted two phone calls.

Emma Woikin's family contacted John Diefenbaker who, at that time, was the Member of Parliament for their riding.

The judge allowed Emma Woikin to withdraw her plea, but would not set bail, as she would likely be facing additional charges.

Emma Woikin requested to serve her sentence in her native Saskatchewan, rather than Ontario.

Emma Woikin was released from prison in August 1948 at the age of 27 after serving more than two years.

Emma Woikin's sentence was reduced for good behaviour at a rate of six days for each month served in the first year of imprisonment and 10 days for each month served in the second, for a total of 34 weeks.

Emma Woikin promptly returned to Saskatchewan and, in January 1949, she moved to Saskatoon where she found work at a drugstore.

In 1951, Emma Woikin was hired as a legal secretary at Kyle, Ferguson, and Hnatyshynat, a law firm that included John Hnatyshyn, who would later become a senator, and his son, Ray Hnatyshyn, who would go on to serve as governor general of Canada.

Emma Woikin later moved to another law firm, Cuelenaere, Beaubier, Walters, Kendall and Fisher.

Emma Woikin used the proceeds from her inheritance to visit Russia in 1969.