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Canada as it did during World War I, again interned nationals from enemy counties at the onset of World War II. This included adult Jewish nationals from those countries. The countries involved changed. This meant the Axis coutries, including Germany, Italy and Japan. Authorites also interned Canadian nationals known to have home country symoathies. They were much more judicius about interning Canadian nationals than they had been during World War I. Basically the Canadians followed the British guidelimes on this. The determination here was on nationality, not religion. Thus German Jews were caight up in the interment. A Canadian reader tells us, "Under the influence of Britain, Japanese, Italians and Germans, even Jews were all detained. This meant mostly German Jews. Many Italians from Montreal area were kept in a prison on a small island next to Montreal -- Ste. Helene's Island - where ironically we now have our amusement park. The Germans -- both military POWs and civilians sent here from Britain were held in a few Army camps. My dad because of his leg problems when he enlisted became a camp guard at Farnham, Quebec. When on leave it was close enough that he was able to take a short bus ride back to Montreal to have supper at his parent's place. He never knew that many of the prisoners he was guarding were Jewish. It was a secret. They were mostly let go by around end of 1942-43. My dad was discharged in '42 because of his leg issues. I showed him a book about the German Jewish prisoners in late 1980s and it nearly freaked him out." The Japanese were treated differently. Not only were the small number of Japanese nationals interned. but ALL Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. And their treatment was different than other interned groups, violating basic norms of law and decency. Canada like the United States had a Japanese minority along the Pacific coast, meaning British Colombia. They began to arrive in the late-19th century. There were about 23,000 Japanese Canadians in British Columbia, most were citiens. This included noth people born in Japan and by 1941 their decendents born in Canada. From the beginning, the Japanee and Chinese were descrimited against by Canadians. As in America, there was aoutrage in Canada with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 1941). And this played into the already racist sentiment toward the Japanese-Canadians. Canadian Pacific Railways fired its Japanese workers and most other Canadian industries did the same. Many Japanese were involved in fishing. They were ordered to stay in port. The Canadian Navy seized 1,200 fishing boats owned by Japanese Canadians. Attitudes hardened further when Japanaese attacked Hong Kong and killed or interned the 2,000 Canadian soldiers there (December 18). The Canadian Government established a 100-mile 'protected area' along the coast from which the Japanese were excluded (January 14, 1942). Aall male Japanese Canadians between the ages of 18 and 45 years were to be removed from the area and taken to road camps in the interior. This was expanded to all people of Japanese racial origin (March 4). The police enforced a dusk to dawn curfew. The Japanese Canadians were ordered to pack a single suitcase each and were taken to holding areas for transport inland. Vancouver's Hastings Park was one of the major taging areas. Some had to wait there for months in poor quarters like animal stalls for months. one of areas where families waited, sometimes for months, to be relocated. The Japanese-Canadians were inally shipped on sealed trains to the interior. There families were separated which seems needlessly and especially cruel. The men were set to work in road gangs. The women and children were housed in wilderness shantytowns. Tthe Canadian government seized and sold their property, including homes, cars, boats, businesses, and all personal property. Mostly it was sold for a pitance and the Japnaese received none of it.
Canada as it did during World War I, again interned nationals from enemy counties at the onset of World War II. This included adult Jewish nationals from those countries. The countries involved changed. This meant the Axis coutries, including Germany, Italy and Japan. Authorites also interned Canadian nationals known to have home country symoathies. They were much more judicius about interning Canadian nationals than they had been during World War I. Basically the Canadians followed the British guidelimes on this. The determination here was on nationality, not religion. Thus German Jews were caight up in the interment. A Canadian reader tells us, "Under the influence of Britain, Japanese, Italians and Germans, even Jews were all detained. This meant mostly German Jews. Many Italians from Montreal area were kept in a prison on a small island next to Montreal -- Ste. Helene's Island - where ironically we now have our amusement park. The Germans -- both military POWs and civilians sent here from Britain were held in a few Army camps. My dad because of his leg problems when he enlisted became a camp guard at Farnham, Quebec. When on leave it was close enough that he was able to take a short bus ride back to Montreal to have supper at his parent's place. He never knew that many of the prisoners he was guarding were Jewish. It was a secret. They were mostly let go by around end of 1942-43. My dad was discharged in '42 because of his leg issues. I showed him a book about the German Jewish prisoners in late 1980s and it nearly freaked him out."
The Canadians trated the Japanese very differently. Not only were the small number of Japanese nationals interned. but ALL Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. And their treatment was different than other interned groups, violating basic norms of law and decency. Canada like the United States had a Japanese minority along the Pacific coast, meaning British Colombia. They began to arrive in the late-19th century. There were about 23,000 Japanese Canadians in British Columbia, most were citiens. This included noth people born in Japan and by 1941 their decendents born in Canada. From the beginning, the Japanee and Chinese were descrimited against by Canadians. As in America, there was aoutrage in Canada with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 1941). And this played into the already racist sentiment toward the Japanese-Canadians. Canadian Pacific Railways fired its Japanese workers and most other Canadian industries did the same. Many Japanese were involved in fishing. They were ordered to stay in port. The Canadian Navy seized 1,200 fishing boats owned by Japanese Canadians. Attitudes hardened further when Japanaese attacked Hong Kong and killed or interned the 2,000 Canadian soldiers there (December 18). The Canadian Government established a 100-mile 'protected area' along the coast from which the Japanese were excluded (January 14, 1942). Aall male Japanese Canadians between the ages of 18 and 45 years were to be removed from the area and taken to road camps in the interior. This was expanded to all people of Japanese racial origin (March 4). The police enforced a dusk to dawn curfew. The Japanese Canadians were ordered to pack a single suitcase each and were taken to holding areas for transport inland. Vancouver's Hastings Park was one of the major taging areas. Some had to wait there for months in poor quarters like animal stalls for months. one of areas where families waited, sometimes for months, to be relocated. The Japanese-Canadians were inally shipped on sealed trains to the interior. There families were separated which seems needlessly and especially cruel. The men were set to work in road gangs. The women and children were housed in wilderness shantytowns. Tthe Canadian government seized and sold their property, including homes, cars, boats, businesses, and all personal property. Mostly it was sold for a pitance and the Japanese received none of it. Moving the 23,000 Japanese Canadians, almost all citizens, proved to be the largest mass exodus in Canadian history. And this was not just a war measure. The Canadian Government after the War decided to remove all Japanese Canadians from British Columbia. They were forced to choose between deportation to a vdevestated Japan or dispersal to the provinceas east of the Rocky Mountains. Most chose to remaon in Canada despite the mistratment they experienced. They moved to Ontario, Québec, and the Prairie provinces without any compensation for their lost property. After this order, the Canadian public began to rethink their attitudes toward the citizens of Japanese ancestry and the emergency actions ceased. Some 4,000 Japanese Canadians eventially left acnada. The Goverment finally allowed the Japanese acnadians to live where they wanred (April 1, 1949). Most returned to British Colombia.
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