Canada and Japanese-Canadians and Aboriginals

Internment of Japanese-Canadians• With the Japanese attack on

Pearl Harbour on Dec. 7, 1941, the war had been brought close to North America and panic struck the West Coast.

• Drawing on a long tradition of anti-Asian sentiment, politicians, newspapers and citizens’ groups called for action against the 23,000 Japanese-Canadians living in British Columbia

• Most of these fisherpeople and market gardeners were Canadian citizens and the RCMP and military officials informed Ottawa that they posed no threat to Canadian security.

Internment of Japanese-Canadians• Despite this, the Japanese-Canadians were

rounded up, deprived of their livelihoods, and dispersed to internment camps in Canada’s interior.

• Soon their property was sold at drastically undervalued prices and after the war the federal government attempted to deport as many Japanese-Canadians as possible back to Japan.

Internment of Japanese-Canadians• As the largest forced

migration in Canadian history, this episode of systematic discrimination is widely believed to be one of Canada’s darkest moments.

• In 1988 the Canadian government officially apologized for its treatment of Japanese Canadians. A symbolic redress payment of $21,000 was given to each survivor and an additional $36 million was put into cultural programming for the Japanese-Canadian community and anti-racism education more broadly

Impact of the War on Aboriginal Peoples

• 3000 First NationCanadians served during WWII. This statistic does not account for any Inuit or Metis participants.

• Because of the entrance restrictions used by the air force and navy, most Aboriginal people served in the army.

• Aboriginal men joined to gain employment, to fight against nazism, and to carry on the tradition of their fathers and uncles who had served in WWI

Impact of the War on Aboriginal Peoples• The war produced many

decorated Aboriginal heroes. For example, Tommy Prince of Manitoba served as part of an exclusive battalion doing specialized reconnaissance and raiding missions. As the most decorated Canadian war hero, Prince was awarded the Military Medal by King George VI.

Impact of the War on Aboriginals

• Despite their sacrifices, Aboriginal soldiers still faced discrimination and often returned to a Canada that relegated them and their families to the second-class citizenship of reserve life.

• It must be remembered that many First Nations soldiers were fighting for democracy abroad while they didn’t even have the right to vote in federal elections!

Question

• How were aboriginals and Japanese-Canadians treated as citizens or as second-class citizens? Why were they treated this way?