Japanese Canadian Internment Camps

A Personal Perspective

By: Stefeni Higuchi

Backround Information

After the bombing of Pearl Habor in Dec.17th 1941, in the US, racial profiling occured

In 1942, 22,000 Japanese-Canadians were evacuated from BC over a 9 month period

By October, 8 internment camps were set up in interior BC

Women, children and older people were sent there while men who complained or violated the curfew were sent to the “prisoner of war” camps in Ontario

Backround Information cont.

The property of the Japanese-Canadians (inc. land, business etc.) were confiscated by the government and sold and the proceeds were used to pay for their internment

In 1945, the government extended the Order in Council to force Japanese to either go to Japan and lose their citzenship or move to eastern Canada

Even though the war was over, it was illegal for them to return to Vancouver until 1949

Posters

This is an example of the poster the government used to evacuate all Japanese-Canadians during 1942

Personal Perspective from my Great-Uncle

My great-uncle was born in Richmond, BC around 1914

Ever since Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, it had changed their lives dramatically

After Pearl Habor, the Canadian Government moved to control feared treachery of its Japanese population by invoking the War Measures Act against all people of Japanese descent

Cont.

They became the victims of extreme racial discrimination and were blamed for everything that went wrong. They also thought they were spies

A lot of people in BC didn’t want the Japanese living there so Mackenzie King incarcerate all Japanese males between the age of 14 and 45

Around 1942, that is when many Japanese-Canadians were sent to internment camps in abandoned mining settlements

Cont.

During this time, the government had taken their land, businesses, and basically everything they had

The valueables they owned were sold without their consent and for far less than their value

They were stripped of their rights, issued special clothing, humiliated and was forced to do manual labour

They were being punished for a crime they didn’t commit. It was because they weren’t white and “could” have been spies

Cont.

Some people were shipped out in different provinces across Canada, especially to provinces in the west and Ontario

My grandfather was given the choice of either staying here in Canada and ending up at the internment camp or going back to Japan

He decided to go back. However, my great-uncle decided to just remain where he was and work there

Cont.

Some people decided to stay where they were because they were born in Canada and Japan to them, was like an unknown country they knew very little of

He learned Japanese and English at the same time because even though he was living in Canada, he went to a Japanese school during the time he spent in the internment camps

He was moved around the prairie provinces working as farmhands

After the Internment Camps

Afterwards, he got married to a woman who was a Japanese-Canadian as well and had 3 children

After my great-uncle was released from the internment camp, they were moved to the east towards northern Ontario in a small town called Chapleau in the late 40’s and worked on the CPR

My grandfather had come back from Japan and moved there as well

Feelings about the whole experience

My great-uncle and his family felt many feelings when they found out they were being forced to move out of BC

He felt insecure about the whole situation because he didn’t know exactly what was going to happen

He felt obliged to do whatever the government instructed him to do

There was a feeling of sadness and devestation because they no longer owned their land and everything was taken away from them

Feelings cont.

It was a very depressing time for all the Japanese-Canadians. They were treated very harshly (ex. hard labour, poor living conditions)

He felt very discriminated against the white Canadians who felt the Japanese-Canadians were not welcomed in their country

Question

It is important to note that Canada is at war with Japan, Germany, Italy and Austria. Why then were only Japanese-Canadians held against their will?

Ending

In 1988, Canada apoligized for this miscarraige of justice, admitting that the actions of the government were influenced by racial discrimination

The government and PM signed a redress agreement providing a small amount of money compensation

Videos

1. http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-308-1621-11/conflict_war/internment_apology/

2. http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-568-2921/conflict_war/internment/

3. http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-568-2918/conflict_war/internment/