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85-740: The foundation was officially opened in November 1997 as part of the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement . The Foundation is led by a board of directors appointed by the federal government as selected by the Governor in Council by recommendations from the Minister of Canadian Heritage , currently Steven Guilbeault . (Previously, such advice came from the Minister for Multiculturalism , last held by Jason Kenney .) As an arms-length organization,

170-551: A "defence measure". On January 14, 1942, the federal government issued an order calling for the removal of male Japanese nationals between 18 and 45 years of age from a designated protected area of 100 miles (160 km) inland from the British Columbia Coast . The federal government also enacted a ban against Japanese-Canadian fishing during the war, banned shortwave radios, and controlled the sale of gasoline and dynamite to Japanese Canadians. Japanese nationals removed from

255-564: A "prominent banker of Vancouver" and a "manager of some of the largest lumbering companies in British Columbia". They saw Japanese Canadians as being important partners in helping to open Japanese markets to businesses in British Columbia. Despite the work of organizations like the Japan Society, many groups still opposed Japanese immigration to Canada, especially in BC's fishing industry during

340-506: A desire to become Canadian. These arguments reinforced the idea that the Japanese remained strictly loyal to Japan. The situation was exacerbated when, in 1907, the United States began prohibiting Japanese immigrants from accessing the mainland US through Hawaii, resulting in a massive influx (over 7,000 as compared to 2,042 in 1906) of Japanese immigrants into British Columbia. Largely as

425-813: A former internee, attested to the "intense cold during the winter" and her only source of heat was from a "pot-bellied stove" within the stable. General conditions were poor enough that the Red Cross transferred fundamental food shipments from civilians affected by the war to the internees. Some internees spoke out against their conditions, often complaining to the British Columbia Security Commission directly whenever possible. In one incident, 15 men who had been separated from their families and put to work in Slocan Valley protested by refusing to work for four days straight. Despite attempts at negotiation,

510-499: A group of Nisei refused to be shipped out and so were sent to prisoner-of-war camps in Ontario to be detained. The Nisei Mass Evacuation Group was formed to protest family break-ups and lobbied government organizations on the topic. However, their attempts were ignored and members of the group began going underground, preferring to be interned or sent to Ontario rather than join labour groups. By July 1942, after strikes occurred within

595-552: A logging operation at Devine (near D'Arcy in the Gates Valley ), which was in the protected zone but without road access to the coast. Japanese-Canadians interned in Lillooet Country found employment within farms, stores, and the railway . The Liberal government also deported able-bodied Japanese-Canadian labourers to camps near fields and orchards, such as BC's Okanagan Valley . The Japanese-Canadian labourers were used as

680-479: A national board of volunteer governors. Its Council of Advisors include Pat Carney , Thomas H.B. Symons , Douglas Cardinal , John K.F. Irving, Glen MacDonald, Frederic L.R. Jackman, and Alexander Reford . The National Trust for Canada oversees three properties. In Quebec , the organization holds two properties: One is the Papineau Chapel, a stone memorial chapel built in 1851 by Louis-Joseph Papineau , on

765-470: A new demand for soldiers and an increased need for domestic labour, which meant that the recruitment of minorities was reconsidered. Under this new policy, Japanese Canadians were able to enlist individually by travelling elsewhere in Canada where their presence was deemed less of a threat. By the end of World War I, 185 Japanese Canadians served overseas in 11 different battalions. During World War II , some of

850-588: A patriarchal structure, meaning the husband was the centre of the family. Since husbands were often separated from their families, wives were left to reconfigure the structure of the family and the long-established divisions of labour that were so common in the Japanese-Canadian household. Oftentimes after internment, families could not be reunited. Many mothers were left with children, but no husband. Furthermore, communities were impossible to rebuild. The lack of community led to an even more intensified gap between

935-519: A result, on August 12 that year, a group of Vancouver labourers formed an anti-Asiatic league, known as the Asiatic Exclusion League , with its membership numbering "over five hundred". On September 7, some 5,000 people marched on Vancouver City Hall in support of the League, where they had arranged a meeting with presentations from both local and American speakers. By the time of the meeting, it

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1020-461: A solution to a shortage of farm workers. This obliterated any Japanese competition in the fishing sector. During the 1940s, the Canadian government created policies to direct Chinese, Japanese, and First Nations into farming, and other sectors of the economy that "other groups were abandoning for more lucrative employment elsewhere." In early March 1942, all ethnic Japanese people were ordered out of

1105-534: A threat to national security, including select senior officials of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Royal Canadian Navy , and Department of Labour and Fisheries . Notable individuals on the side of the Japanese Canadians included Hugh Llewellyn Keenleyside , Assistant Under-Secretary at External Affairs during the internment of Japanese Canadians. Sunahara argues that Keenleyside

1190-578: Is also a property in Ontario . The Myrtleville House is a two-storey structure built in Brantford between 1837 and 1838. Originally owned by Allen and Eliza Good, the house was occupied by four generations of their family until 1978, when the property – including the house, its contents, and 5.5 acres (22,000 m ) of land – was donated to the Crown , which then transferred it in trust to

1275-591: Is also consulted by officers from the Multiculturalism program at the Department of Heritage Canada as a key community resource in the national effort to address racism. The CRRF also publishes a journal, titled Directions , which publishes one research article per issue, providing "community-based, action-oriented research, commentary, and perspectives on eliminating racism and discrimination." The Canadian Race Relations Foundation operates at arm's length from

1360-498: Is privileged to contribute, participate and make a difference in these aspirations." The PSAs are used in the largest multimedia anti-racism campaign in Canada. The CRRF undertakes research, collects data, and develops a national information base to further an understanding of the nature of racism and racial discrimination in Canada. As such, the Foundation has established a niche for research projects that are not traditionally funded by

1445-589: Is to "see people for who they really are: Unite Against Racism Campaign." The eight languages used for the PSA includes Cantonese , Italian , Mandarin Chinese , Polish , Portuguese , Spanish , Tamil , and Urdu . According to Madeline Ziniak, National Vice President of Rogers OMNI Television, the "impact of making key anti-racism messages available to multilingual audiences is an important step towards building an inclusive and accepting Canadian society." She adds that, "OMNI

1530-632: The British Columbia Interior . The official policy stated that Japanese Canadians must move east of the Rocky Mountains or be deported to Japan following the end of the war. By 1947, many Japanese Canadians had been granted exemption to this enforced no-entry zone. Yet it was not until April 1, 1949, that Japanese Canadians were granted freedom of movement and could re-enter the "protected zone" along BC's coast. On September 22, 1988, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney delivered an apology, and

1615-600: The British Columbia coast in 1942 or was alive in Canada prior to 1 April 1949 and remained alive at the time of the signing of the agreement; a $ 12 million contribution to aid Japanese Canadians in rebuilding destroyed communities; and a $ 24-million endowment fund to establish what would become the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. The Canadian Race Relations Foundation Act ( Bill C-63 ) received royal assent on 1 February 1991 and proclaimed by

1700-494: The Canadian Forces . On the home front , many businesses began hiring groups that had been underrepresented in the workforce (including women, Japanese immigrants, and Yugoslavian and Italian refugees who had fled to Canada during the war) to help fill the increasing demands of Britain and its allies overseas. Businesses that had previously been opposed to doing so were now more than happy to hire Japanese Canadians as there

1785-496: The Federal Public Service . The CRRF hires staff from time-to-time, but has a small staff and therefore few hirings. The Foundation also takes student placements and volunteers on a case-by-case basis. Japanese Canadian Redress From 1942 to 1949, Canada forcibly relocated and incarcerated over 22,000 Japanese Canadians —comprising over 90% of the total Japanese Canadian population—from British Columbia in

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1870-551: The Governor General abolished the puller licence entirely despite Japanese-Canadian protests. This resulted in many younger Japanese Canadians being forced from the fishing industry, leaving Japanese-Canadian net men to fend for themselves. Later that year, in August, a change to the borders of fishing districts in the area resulted in the loss of licences for several Japanese-Canadian fishermen, who claimed they had not been informed of

1955-523: The Heritage Canada Foundation ) is a national registered charity in Canada with the mandate to inspire and lead action to save historic places , and promote the care and wise use of Canada's historic environment. Its sites, projects, and programs encourage Canadians to identify, conserve, use, celebrate, and value their heritage buildings , landscapes , natural areas , and communities for present and future generations. Established in 1973,

2040-469: The Kootenay Country in southeastern British Columbia. Leadership positions within the camps were only offered to Nisei , or Canadian-born citizens of Japanese origin, thereby excluding Issei , the original immigrants from Japan. The internment camps in the B.C. interior were often ghost towns with little infrastructure to support the influx of people. When Japanese Canadians began arriving in

2125-742: The League of Nations in 1933, ignored the naval ratio set up by the Washington Naval Conference of 1922, refused to follow the Second London Naval Treaty in 1936, and allied with Germany with the Anti-Comintern Pact . Because many Canadians believed that resident Japanese immigrants would always remain loyal to their home country, the Japanese in British Columbia, even those born and raised in Canada, were often judged for these militant actions taken by their ancestral home. When

2210-627: The Pacific War began, discrimination against Japanese Canadians increased. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Japanese Canadians were all categorized, regardless of citizenship, as enemy aliens under the War Measures Act , yet the place of residency at the outbreak of the war significantly affected the removal of their personal rights. Starting on December 8, 1941, 1,200 Japanese-Canadian-owned fishing vessels were impounded as

2295-473: The interior . The internment in Canada included the theft, seizure, and sale of property belonging to this forcefully displaced population, which included fishing boats, motor vehicles, houses, farms, businesses, and personal belongings. Japanese Canadians were forced to use the proceeds of forced sales to pay for their basic needs during the internment. In August 1944, Prime Minister Mackenzie King announced that Japanese Canadians were to be moved east out of

2380-499: The 1920s and 1930s. Prior to the 1920s, many Japanese labourers were employed as pullers, a job that required them to help the net men row the boats out to fish. The job required no licence, so it was one of the few jobs for first-generation Japanese immigrants who were not Canadian citizens. In 1923, however, the government lifted a ban on the use of motorboats and required that pullers be licensed. This meant that first-generation immigrants, known as Issei , were unable to get jobs in

2465-415: The 1920s, other groups had begun to come forward to the defence of Japanese Canadians, such as the Japan Society. In contrast to rival groups' memberships consisting of mostly labourers, farmers, and fishermen, the Japan Society was primarily made up of wealthy white businessmen whose goal was to improve relations between the Japanese and Canadians both at home and abroad. The heads of the organization included

2550-579: The BC coast. Small numbers of military-age Japanese-Canadian men were permitted to serve in the Canadian Army in the Second World War as interpreters and in signal/intelligence units. By January 1945, several Japanese Canadian men were attached to British units in the Far East as interpreters and translators. In total, about 200 Canadian Nisei joined Canadian forces during World War II. Throughout

2635-922: The CRRF has Special NGO Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council . In 1988, an agreement was reached between the Government of Canada and the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC), called the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement , which acknowledged that the treatment of Japanese Canadians during and after World War II was unjust and violated principles of human rights . The federal government apologized on behalf of Canadians for such actions and provided compensation to those Japanese-Canadian families who were wronged. The NAJC also negotiated: CA$ 21,000 for each individual Japanese Canadian who had either been removed from

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2720-463: The CRRF. The Canadian Race Relations Foundation is administered by a board of directors consisting of a chair and up to eleven other directors appointed by the federal government. The selection process is coordinated by the Prime Minister's Office , based on recommendations by the Minister of Canadian Heritage . As the CRRF operates at arms length from the government, its employees are not part of

2805-513: The Canadian government announced a compensation package, one month after President Ronald Reagan made similar gestures in the United States following the internment of Japanese Americans . The package for interned Japanese Canadians included $ 21,000 to each surviving internee, and the reinstatement of Canadian citizenship to those who were deported to Japan. Following Mulroney's apology, the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement

2890-694: The Canadian government issued order in council PC 1486, which allowed for the removal of "all persons of Japanese origin". This order in council granted the minister of justice the broad powers of removing people from any protected area in Canada, but was meant for Japanese Canadians on the Pacific coast in particular. On February 25, the federal government announced that Japanese Canadians were being moved for reasons of national security. In all, 27,000 people were detained without charge or trial, and their property confiscated. Others were deported to Japan. However, not all Canadians believed that Japanese Canadians posed

2975-694: The Government on 28 October 1996. The Foundation was officially opened in November 1997. In 2010, the CRRF introduced Canada Lecture , an annual event inviting "accomplished Canadians to raise awareness and understanding of critical issues related to racism and racial discrimination and creating social harmony in our society." Previous lectures have included: The CRRF is involved in the development of three 30-second public service announcement (PSA) television spots in 8 languages that have been broadcast on OMNI-TV since 25 February 2010, with production wholly funded by Rogers OMNI Television. The theme of these PSAs

3060-559: The Japanese are an assimilable race." Bordering the Pacific Ocean, British Columbia was believed to be easily susceptible to enemy attacks from Japan. Even though both the RCMP and the Department of National Defence lacked proof of any sabotage or espionage, there were fears that Japanese Canadians supported Japan in the war. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King , for example, agreed with

3145-526: The National Trust has campaigned to update and fill gaps in Canadian heritage policies and laws, including supporting legislation such as Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act . The National Trust for Canada also awards municipalities for their actions in preserving historical built environments through the Prince of Wales Prize for Municipal Heritage Leadership . It is a member-based organization governed by

3230-546: The UK and the United States. Prime Minister King wrote in his diary daily for most of his life. These diary entries have provided historians with a sense of the thoughts and feelings King held during the war. Historian N.F. Dreisziger has written that, "though he undoubtedly considered himself a man of humanitarian outlook, he was a product of his times and shared the values of his fellow Canadians. He was—beyond doubt—an anti-Semite , and shouldered, more than any of his Cabinet colleagues,

3315-502: The actions taken against Japanese Americans in neighbouring United States, this forced relocation subjected many Japanese Canadians to government-enforced curfews and interrogations, job and property losses, and forced repatriation to Japan. From shortly after the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor until 1949, Japanese Canadians were stripped of their homes and businesses, then sent to internment camps and farms in British Columbia as well as in some other parts of Canada, mostly towards

3400-496: The armed forces, and, when the forced removal and internment of Japanese Canadians was underway, the conditions Japanese Canadians faced in internment camps. William Lyon Mackenzie King served his final term as prime minister between 1935 and 1948, at which point he retired from Canadian politics. He had served two previous terms as prime minister, but this period was perhaps his most well-known. His policies during this period included unemployment insurance and tariff agreements with

3485-448: The camp. Japanese-Canadian women and children faced a specific set of challenges that greatly affected their way of life and broke down the social and cultural norms that had developed. Whole families were taken from their homes and separated from each other. Husbands and wives were almost always separated when sent to camps and, less commonly, some mothers were separated from their children as well. Japanese-Canadian families typically had

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3570-408: The change. While these events did result in reduced competition from Japanese Canadians in the fishing industry, it created further tensions elsewhere. Japanese Canadians had already been able to establish a secure position in many businesses during World War I, but their numbers had remained relatively small as many had remained in the fishing industry. As Japanese Canadians began to be pushed out of

3655-511: The coast after the January 14 order were sent to road camps around Jasper, Alberta .On February 19, 1942, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 , which called for the removal of 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry from the American coastline. Anne Sunahara , a historian of internment, argues that "the American action sealed the fate of Japanese Canadians." On February 24,

3740-505: The day." In 1919, 3,267 Japanese immigrants held fishing licences and 50% of the total licences issued that year were issued to Japanese fishermen. These numbers were alarming to European-descended Canadian fishermen who felt threatened by the growing number of Japanese competitors. While groups like the Asiatic Exclusion League and the White Canada Association viewed Japanese Canadians as cultural and economic threats, by

3825-443: The dispossession of the property of Japanese Canadians. He campaigned to exclude Asians from the province of British Columbia, saying to a local newspaper in 1922 "Economically we cannot combat with them; racially we cannot assimilate them...we must exclude them from our midst and prohibit them from owning land." Heritage Canada The National Trust for Canada ( French : La Fiducie nationale du Canada ; formerly known as

3910-426: The federal government. The Foundation does not provide core funding to any organization but will support specific outreach/education initiatives. It has a program that provides funding of up to $ 7,500 for "Initiatives Against Racism" to support projects aimed at a broad public audience. Funding support for anti-racism initiatives is provided through the CRRF's "Research and Initiatives Against Racism" programs. The CRRF

3995-514: The first time) their new husbands, became common after 1908. The influx of female immigrants—and soon after, Canadian-born children—shifted the population from a temporary workforce to a permanent presence, and Japanese-Canadian family groups settled throughout British Columbia and southern Alberta . Japan during World War I was an ally of the United Kingdom and opinions of Japanese Canadians improved slightly. Some Japanese Canadians enlisted in

4080-433: The fishing industry, they increasingly began to work on farms and in small businesses. This outward move into farming and business was viewed as more evidence of the economic threat Japanese Canadians posed towards white Canadians, leading to increased racial tension. In the years leading up to World War II , approximately 29,000 people of Japanese ancestry lived in British Columbia; 80% of these were Canadian nationals. At

4165-523: The fishing industry, which resulted in large–scale unemployment among these Issei . Second-generation Japanese Canadians, known as Nisei , and who were born in Canada, began entering the fishing industry at a younger age to compensate for this, but even they were hindered as the increased use of motorboats resulted in less need for pullers and only a small number of fishing licences were issued to Japanese Canadians. This situation escalated in May 1938, when

4250-516: The generations. Children had no one with whom to speak Japanese outside the home and as a result they rarely learned the language fluently. This fracturing of community also led to a lack of Japanese cultural foundation and many children lost a strong connection with their culture. Mothers had also learned to be bolder in their own way and were now taking on wage-earning jobs, which meant that they had less time to teach their children about Japanese culture and traditions. The internment camps forever changed

4335-506: The government and is registered as a charitable organization . It is led by a board of directors and constitutes various staff members as well as volunteers. The foundation was partly founded by the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC), who negotiated a contribution of $ 12 million on behalf of its community. The Government of Canada matched that contribution to create a $ 24 million endowment fund that would establish

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4420-586: The grounds of the Château Montebello in the town of Montebello . It is the National Trust's first property, having been acquired in 1974. The other is 11 ruelle de l'Ancien-Chantier , two adjacent buildings erected in 1670, in the Lower Town of Quebec City . It was purchased by Heritage Canada to act as one of its regional offices, but now houses the offices of the French : Fondation Rues principales . There

4505-400: The groups were hindered in their attempt to assimilate due to the difficulty they had in finding steady work at equal wages. In reference to Japanese Canadians specifically, human geographer Audrey Kobayashi argues that prior to the war, racism "had defined their communities since the first immigrants arrived in the 1870s." Starting in 1877 with Manzo Nagano —a 19-year-old sailor who

4590-487: The hopes of gaining previously denied citizenship rights. In the early years of the war, however, the supply of enlisting men surpassed demand, so recruiting officers could be selective in who they accepted. Still, large numbers of Japanese Canadians volunteered, as did members of other visible minorities like Black Canadians and First Nations , so the Canadian government proposed a compromise that, if enlisted, minorities could fight separately. The Japanese Canadian community

4675-540: The interned Japanese Canadians were combat veterans of the Canadian Expeditionary Force , including several men who had been decorated for bravery on the Western Front . Despite the first iterations of veterans affairs associations established during World War II, fear and racism drove policy and trumped veterans' rights, meaning that virtually no Japanese-Canadian veterans were exempt from being removed from

4760-403: The internees – green wood to build accommodation and a stove was all that most received. Men could make some money in construction work to support their families, but women had very few opportunities. Yet, finding work was almost essential since interned Japanese Canadians had to support themselves and buy food using the small salaries they had collected or through allowances from the government for

4845-449: The labour camps themselves, the federal government made a policy to keep families together in their removal to internment camps in the BC interior or sugar beet farms across the prairies. Many Canadians were unaware of the living conditions in the internment camps. The Japanese Canadians who resided within the camp at Hastings Park were placed in stables and barnyards, where they lived without privacy in an unsanitary environment. Kimiko,

4930-464: The loss of life that it [the bomb] will occasion among innocent people as well as those that are guilty." On August 6, 1945, the day of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, King wrote in his diary: "It is fortunate that the use of the bomb should have been upon the Japanese rather than upon the white races of Europe. For many Japanese Canadians, World War I provided an opportunity to prove their loyalty to Canada and their allies through military service in

5015-465: The men and their families were processed through Hastings Park in Vancouver; others were sent immediately for various destinations eastward. Many of the men at the park were separated from their families and sent into the British Columbia Interior or elsewhere in Canada, but most women and children stayed in the park until they were sent to Internment Camps in the interior or decided as a family to join

5100-517: The men were eventually informed that they would be sent to the Immigration Building jail in Vancouver for their refusal to work. Their mistreatment caused several of the men to begin hoping that Japan would win the war and force Canada to compensate them. Tashme , a camp on Highway 3 just east of Hope, was notorious for the camp's harsh conditions and existed just outside the protected area. Other internment camps, including Slocan , were in

5185-466: The mob without any serious injury or loss of life. After the riot, the League and other nativist groups used their influence to push the government into an arrangement similar to the United States' Gentlemen's Agreement , limiting the number of passports given to male Japanese immigrants to 400 per year. Women were not counted toward the quota, so " picture brides ", women who married by proxy and immigrated to Canada to join (and in many cases, meet for

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5270-691: The name of " national security ". The majority were Canadian citizens by birth and were targeted based on their ancestry. This decision followed the events of the Japanese Empire 's war in the Pacific against the Western Allies , such as the invasion of Hong Kong , the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , and the Fall of Singapore which led to the Canadian declaration of war on Japan during World War II . Similar to

5355-554: The populace in British Columbia (BC). Canadian sociologist Forrest La Violette reported in the 1940s that these early sentiments had often been "organized around the fear of an assumed low standard of living [and] out of fear of Oriental cultural and racial differences." It was a common prejudiced belief within British Columbia that both Japanese and Chinese immigrants were stealing jobs away from white Canadians . Canadian academic Charles H. Young concluded that many Canadians argued based on this fear that "Oriental labour lowers

5440-510: The power to intern all "persons of Japanese racial origin". A 100-mile (160 km) wide strip along the Pacific coast was deemed "protected", and men of Japanese origin between the ages of 18 and 45 were removed. Thereafter, the entire Japanese Canadian population was uprooted from this designated zone. By November 1942, 22,000 people were displaced. Japanese Canadians on the west coast were forcibly moved to road camps, sugar beet farms, or prisoner-of-war camps . Before being sent off, many of

5525-643: The protected area, and a daytime-only curfew was imposed on them. Various camps in the Lillooet area and in Christina Lake were formally "self-supporting projects" (also called "relocation centres") which housed selected middle- and upper-class families and others not deemed as much of a threat to public safety. The forced removal of many Japanese-Canadian men to become labourers elsewhere in Canada created confusion and panic among families, causing some men to refuse orders to ship out to labour camps. On March 23, 1942,

5610-433: The responsibility of keeping Jewish refugees out of the country on the eve of and during the war." Prior to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan , Prime Minister King was not considered a racist. He seemed concerned for humanity and was against the use of the atomic bomb and even its creation. When King learned of the estimated date of the bomb dropping, he wrote in his diary: "It makes one very sad at heart to think of

5695-491: The standard of living of White groups." It was also argued that Asian immigrants were content with a lower standard of living. The argument was that many Chinese and Japanese immigrants in BC lived in unsanitary conditions and were not inclined to improve their living space, thereby proving their inferiority and their unwillingness to become truly Canadian. Violette refuted this claim by stating that, while Japanese and Chinese immigrants did often have poor living conditions, both of

5780-607: The sugar beet farms in the Prairies . Many of the Japanese nationals removed from the coast after January 14, 1942, were sent to road camps in the BC interior or sugar beet projects on the Prairies, such as in Taber, Alberta . Despite the 100-mile quarantine, a few Japanese-Canadian men remained in McGillivray Falls , which was just outside the protected zone. However, they were employed at

5865-402: The summer and fall of 1942, any accommodations given were shared between multiple families and many had to live in tents while shacks were constructed in the summer of 1942. The shacks were small and built with damp, green wood. When winter came, the wood made everything damp and the lack of insulation meant that the inside of the shacks often froze during the night. Very little was provided for

5950-493: The time, they were denied the right to vote and barred by law from various professions. Racial tensions often stemmed from the belief of many Canadians that all Japanese immigrants, both first-generation Issei and second-generation Nisei , remained loyal to Japan alone. In Maclean's Magazine , a professor at the University of British Columbia stated that the "Japanese in B.C. are as loyal to [Japan] as Japanese anywhere in

6035-490: The unemployed. The relief rates were so low that many families had to use their personal savings to live in the camps. By the spring of 1943, however, some conditions began to change as Japanese Canadians in the camp organized themselves. Removal from the coast to ghost towns had been done based on location, so many communities moved together and were placed in same camp together. This preserved local communal ties and facilitated organizing and negotiating for better conditions in

6120-516: The uprooting and internment of Japanese Canadians under the Defence of Canada Regulations . Since the arrival of Japanese, Chinese, and South Asian immigrants to British Columbia in the late 1800s, there had been calls for their exclusion. Vancouver Member of Parliament Ian Mackenzie saw the war as an opportunity to expel Japanese Canadians from British Columbia. He wrote to a constituent that "their country should never have been Canada ... I do not believe

6205-501: The view that all Japanese Canadians "would be saboteurs and would help Japan when the moment came." In total, 22,000 Japanese Canadians (14,000 of whom were born in Canada) were interned starting in 1942. Widespread internment was authorized on March 4, 1942, with order-in-council 1665 passed under the Defence of Canada Regulations of the War Measures Act , which gave the federal government

6290-431: The war, Canadians of "Oriental racial origin" were not called upon to perform compulsory military service. Japanese Canadian men who had chosen to serve in the Canadian army during the war to prove their allegiance to Canada were discharged only to discover they were unable to return to the BC coast, or unable to have their rights reinstated. After Canada's declaration of war on Japan on December 8, 1941, many called for

6375-452: The way of Japanese-Canadian life. The dispossession began in December 1941 with the seizure of fishing vessels owned by Japanese Canadians, and eventually led to the loss of homes, farms, businesses and smaller belongings such as family heirlooms. Ian MacKenzie , the federal Minister of Pensions and National Health and British Columbia representative in Cabinet, was a political advocate for

6460-427: The world." Other Canadians felt that tensions, in British Columbia specifically, originated from the fact that the Japanese were clustered together almost entirely in and around Vancouver . As a result, as early as 1938, there was talk of encouraging Japanese Canadians to begin moving east of the Rocky Mountains . The actions of Japan leading up to World War II were also seen as cause for concern. Japan withdrew from

6545-456: Was "more than enough work for all". However, by the end of the war, soldiers returning home to find their jobs filled by others, including Japanese immigrants, were outraged. While they had been fighting in Europe, the Japanese had established themselves securely in many business and were now, more than ever, perceived as a threat to white workers. "'Patriotism' and 'Exclusion' became the watchwords of

6630-440: Was a sympathetic administrator who advocated strongly against the removal of Japanese Canadians from the BC coast. He unsuccessfully tried to remind other government officials of the distinction between Japanese foreign nationals and Canadian citizens in regards to personal and civil rights. Frederick J. Mead, RCMP Assistant Commissioner, also used his position to advocate for Japanese Canadians and mitigate government actions. Mead

6715-603: Was established in 1988, along with the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation (JCRF; 1988–2002), to issue redress payments for internment victims, with the intent of funding education. The tension between Canadians and Japanese immigrants to Canada existed long before the outbreak of World War II. Starting as early as 1858 with the influx of Asian immigrants during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush , beliefs and fears about Asian immigrants began to affect

6800-533: Was estimated that at least 25,000 people had arrived at the City Hall and, following the speakers, the crowd broke out in rioting, marching into Chinatown and Japantown . The rioters stormed through Chinatown first, breaking windows and smashing store fronts. Afterwards, the rioters turned to the Japanese-Canadian neighbourhood. Alerted by the previous rioting, Japanese Canadians in Little Tokyo were able to repel

6885-441: Was given the task of implementing several federal policies, including the removal of Japanese Canadians from the "protected zone" along the coast in 1942. Mead attempted to slow down the process, allowing individuals and families more time to prepare by following the exact letter of the law, which required a complicated set of permissions from busy government ministers, rather than the spirit of quick removal it intended. However, it

6970-441: Was not just government officials, but also private citizens, who were sympathetic to the Japanese-Canadian cause. Writing his first letter in January 1941, Captain V.C. Best, a resident of Salt Spring Island , advocated against mistreatment of Japanese Canadians for over two years. Best wrote to Keenleyside directly for much of that period, protesting anti-Japanese sentiment in the press, advocating for Japanese-Canadian enlistment in

7055-434: Was the first Japanese person to officially immigrate to Canada, and entering the salmon-exporting business—the Japanese were quick to integrate themselves into Canadian industries . Some European-descended Canadians felt that, while the Chinese were content with being "confined to a few industries", the Japanese were infiltrating all areas of industry and competing with white workers. This sense of unease among white Canadians

7140-482: Was very energetic on this front. The Canadian Japanese Association of Vancouver offered to raise a battalion in 1915 and, upon receiving a polite reply, proceeded to enlist and train 277 volunteers at the expense of the Japanese Canadian community. This offer, however, was rejected by Prime Minister Robert Borden and his federal cabinet. Yet, by the summer of 1916, the death toll in the trenches had risen, creating

7225-467: Was worsened by the growing rate of Japanese fishermen in the early 1900s. Japanese immigrants were also accused of being resistant to assimilation into British Canadian society, because of Japanese-language schools, Buddhist temples, and low intermarriage rates, among other examples. It was asserted that the Japanese had their own manner of living, and that many who had become naturalized in Canada did so to obtain fishing licences rather than out of

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