The Japanese Internment
Throughout history, Canada has relatively been a supporter of multiculturalism. In the past Canada has had very few racial conflict, although there has been one incident which has had quite a controversial effect about human rights violations and discrimination. This thorn in Canada's side is the Japanese Internment which took place during the second world war. The Japanese Internment took place between the years of 1941 and 1949. At the time most of the Japanese population was concentrated in British Columbia, on the West Coast of Canada. The Japanese first immigrated to Canada to work on the rail road in 1900. By 1921 the Japanese population numbered nearly 16000 people and had possessed nearly half of the fishing licenses in British Columbia. In 1941 23000 Japanese were living throughout Canada. On December 7 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. After the attack there government took all Japanese owned boats, radios, and cameras. After the public pressured the government, and they took action and the government moved all Japanese from a 100 mile wide security strip along the B.C. coast. Later the government gave a further statement
One question asked is, was the internment just a way of separating the Japanese for no reason other than thier ethnic origin or skin color? Some people think that the British Columbia Government as well as the Federal Government were trying to separate and segregate all people of Japanese origin from the rest of Canada. that declared that all people of Japanese origin were considered aliens until the end of World War II. After the internment and the war, the Prime Minister at the time Makenzie King started to deport Japanese back to Japan. Even after the war, Makenzie King still deported 4000 Japanese Canadians back to Japan. A good Question is "on what grounds, or what right did the Canadian Government have to arrest the Japanese. Although Japan was one of the countries opposing the Allied powers, the Japanese were the only race that was interned. During the internment the Canadian Government claimed all the Japanese's land and possessions and sold them for a factor of the original cost. The Government only acted in fear of Canada's National security. The remaining 12000 Japanese were taken to Interior Housing Centers in the middle of B. The government assured the provinces that the Japanese would stay in agriculture and would be removed after the war, at the provinces request. " At the time the Government had no proof that the Japanese were spying on them, but still the they interned the Japanese until the war ended. Many positions have been stated as well as many different points of view. Other people support this opinion but think that the Germans, Austrians, and Italians, should of been treated the same way. Some people believed that the internment was a necessary action, because Canada's national security was being threatened by the Japanese who were dwelling near the Pacific Ocean. One of the major arguments is the factor of segregation and discrimination that were implied during the internment.
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