Why didn't they allow the Japanese to show their loyalty to Canada by allowing them to serve in the Canadian military? The US did this by the formation of the 442nd and 100th Infantry Battalions, that were made up of Japanese American soldiers. These were the most decorated Army units in history.
I couldnt stop my tears. How many generations it will take to call ourselves a true canadian? Every now and then someone comes to power and introduce some kinda bill that shows “ hey you arent canadian, leave” . Heart broken and really worried about my next gen.
Gordon Robertson please remember the "I was just following orders" dies in Nuremberg. Your attitude makes me ill and embarrassed as a Canadian citizen.
the lack of intelligence is peculiar to man: the "Canadians" suddenly remember that they come from everywhere and from nowhere ... they remember that they also come from Japan ... the "Canadians" who come from elsewhere turn against the "Canadians" who come from Japan ... total confusion ...
Japanese Canadians September 1988, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney signs the agreement to compensate the Japanese-Canadians for the expropriation of their property and their internment during World War II The Conservative government of Brian Mulroney was sympathetic to claims by Japanese Canadians, and opened negotiations in the mid-1980s. However, the government hesitated to place a dollar amount on a settlement, and activists debated whether to press for individual payments or a collective settlement. In mid-1988, Mulroney assigned Secretary of State Lucien Bouchard to broker an agreement. In September 1988 (some six weeks after a similar redress bill was enacted in Washington) an agreement was reached in Canada. The terms of the Canadian settlement included an official apology, a redress payment of $21,000 to each surviving individual affected by official policy, a community fund of $12 million and funding for a Canadian Race Relations Foundation to support human rights projects.
As I recall, General MacArthur was military governor of Japan at the time. He refused to accept as "repatriated" persons anyone who was defined as Canadian in Canada's 1910 Immigration Act and 1921 Canadian Nationals Act. That included naturalized Japanese and those wives and children who were born in Canada.
I knew in america we treated the Japanese terribly but never knew this happened in Canada,very sad. I wonder what happened if anyone was mixed as i am sure it happened.Were they forced to leave too......
An exquisitely told story of the racist immoral policy of ethnic cleansing. Thank you for your good work researching, challenging, and bringing this story to light.
Whatever happened then, disgusting and cruel as it was, the Japanese Canadians are the kindest, hard working people. My children can vouch for this as well. Any person of Japanese heritage, although angry, should be so proud of their grace and beauty
Thank you, my mom and her grandparents are of Japanese descent. And I really appreciate your thoughtful and gratitude and God bless. You made the lord keeps safe amen
American here - I actually think our approach to internment was somewhat better (albeit still inexcusable). For one thing, after the camps were closed, Japanese Americans were allowed to return to the West Coast (although their old property wasn't guaranteed to be there, unfortunately). And the camps themselves, while not perfect, weren't the worst places to live - they had newspapers and limited self-government, sometimes allowed internees to briefly leave the camp to go into nearby towns, and the internees were even allowed to sign up for military service, most famously in the 442nd Infantry Regiment, where many fought and died bravely for a country that arguably didn't deserve their service, and included among their ranks future Senator Daniel Inouye. We were also the first to apologize in 1988, and I suspect the only reason the Canadian government followed suit was because of the attention our apology brought to the issue. Again, our actions were motivated by prejudice over sound policy, and the policy of internment is a black stain on both of our country's histories, but I believe that ours was the lesser of the two evils.
I heard they lost a Japantown in Vancouver, but US was lucky to never lose any Japanese districts, they have them today, but the worse thing is there was a country called brazil did a similar thing like arrest them or force them to go on a corridor of death, but today US has over millions of Japanese today, but Canada didn't sadly and they say brazil had way more Japanese then an English territory more then US while US has more then Canada like it's not fair brazil has millions more then US or Canada, I wish Canada has the millions like the US, it's weird, because brazil is a poor country, but they only have one Japanese district, but I am jealous there are chinatowns in Canada or US being famous in films more then Japantowns, I'm jealous that brazil has an only one surviving Japanese district and Canada didn't in Vancouver, but lots of chinese or koreans were moving in the brazilian Japanese district now a days seemed to becoming a chinatown soon, I don't know, but I wish chinatowns are always famous in brazil instead that way in their portuguese films, but for unknown reasons they say brazil did not have a chinatown, but the chinese have always move to brazil just, before the Japanese, anybody knew or know that stuff I am shocked of Canada didn't get that, I hate it that the Japanese went to that poor country brazil and not Canada, because Canada wasn't that poor so it be better if Canada has millions with the US has that many too and brazil would just have very few Japanese be better? They said that brazil was peaceful with Japan and it's not fair, brazil is not an English territory for the Japanese to speak English everyday as the Japanese here in our Anglo America continent!
Thank you for bringing to light my grandparents and their history. I'm Japanese Irish and I so appreciate your acknowledgment. And god bless you made lord keep you safe amen
