World War II was a very difficult time for almost everyone living in either the Allies’ or Axis’ countries, especially for people of Japanese descent living in Canada. The Japanese-Canadian internment is a defining moment in Canada because it shows how poorly the Canadian governments, politicians, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and labour unions treated Japanese-Canadians. They had no freedom; were incarcerated in internment, road, or prisoners-of-war camps; and lastly, were unequal compared to everyone else living in Canada, especially the white people. After Japan bombed the Pearl Harbour and attacked Hong Kong, enemy aliens, racial discrimination and deportation, and restriction were three main terms to describe Japanese-Canadians.
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Japanese people living in Canada suffered from racism ever since Manzo Nagano, the first Japanese to immigrant from Japan to Canada, came to New Westminster, British Columbia in 1877. During the next four decades, British Columbia politicians, along with Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), used racism against Japanese-Canadians to win elections. An anti-Asian sentiment in British Columbia had been around for seventy years before World War II and they did their best to force issei (first generation or immigrants) to leave Canada. Many left, but those who decided to stay and move to other provinces, were not allowed to return to British Columbia until 1949. This issue was taken up in court in 1946 and the decision that was made caused an uprising from both the Japanese and white community. It was a commonly held belief that Japanese work ethic might overthrow British Columbia, so the Canadian Pacific Railway discharged all Japanese employees. Laws prevented Japanese-Canadians from working in mines and prohibited them from working on any project funded by British Columbia. Japanese people got paid less than white labour unions because they accused the Japanese of stealing jobs, and employers raising higher standards for white unions. A white mob rampaged through Japanese areas in Vancouver to protest against the presence of Japanese workers. Because of the negative …show more content…
In 1895, the provincial government of British Columbia denied voting rights to citizens of Asiatic origin, including Japanese. After World War I, issei veterans became the only Japanese-Canadians receiving the right to vote. In 1936, the Japanese Canadian Citizens League gained the provincial vote, but sought to gain the federal instead. The CCF British Columbia members of Parliament persuaded the Liberal-dominated Committee to deny the franchise. The last control on Japanese was not lifted until 1949, when Japanese were finally allowed to vote. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and attacked Hong Kong, killing over one thousand Canadian soldiers, Canada confiscated Japanese people’s property and belongings. Japanese-Canadians were ordered to turn over their property and belongings to the Custodian of Enemy Alien Property as “protective custody” and most people never saw it again. The property and belongings were auctioned off for a fraction of its worth and some were used to pay for housing in camps. Two days later, the government gave the remaining Japanese twenty-four hours to pack a few belongings and move inland. The RCMP arrested Japanese operatives and impounded, indefinitely at the nearest port, one thousand and two hundred fishing boats owned by the Japanese. The issei migrated to the Fraser Valley and along the Pacific coastline, whereas others chose to settle in
Japanese people living in Canada suffered from racism ever since Manzo Nagano, the first Japanese to immigrant from Japan to Canada, came to New Westminster, British Columbia in 1877. During the next four decades, British Columbia politicians, along with Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), used racism against Japanese-Canadians to win elections. An anti-Asian sentiment in British Columbia had been around for seventy years before World War II and they did their best to force issei (first generation or immigrants) to leave Canada. Many left, but those who decided to stay and move to other provinces, were not allowed to return to British Columbia until 1949. This issue was taken up in court in 1946 and the decision that was made caused an uprising from both the Japanese and white community. It was a commonly held belief that Japanese work ethic might overthrow British Columbia, so the Canadian Pacific Railway discharged all Japanese employees. Laws prevented Japanese-Canadians from working in mines and prohibited them from working on any project funded by British Columbia. Japanese people got paid less than white labour unions because they accused the Japanese of stealing jobs, and employers raising higher standards for white unions. A white mob rampaged through Japanese areas in Vancouver to protest against the presence of Japanese workers. Because of the negative …show more content…
In 1895, the provincial government of British Columbia denied voting rights to citizens of Asiatic origin, including Japanese. After World War I, issei veterans became the only Japanese-Canadians receiving the right to vote. In 1936, the Japanese Canadian Citizens League gained the provincial vote, but sought to gain the federal instead. The CCF British Columbia members of Parliament persuaded the Liberal-dominated Committee to deny the franchise. The last control on Japanese was not lifted until 1949, when Japanese were finally allowed to vote. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and attacked Hong Kong, killing over one thousand Canadian soldiers, Canada confiscated Japanese people’s property and belongings. Japanese-Canadians were ordered to turn over their property and belongings to the Custodian of Enemy Alien Property as “protective custody” and most people never saw it again. The property and belongings were auctioned off for a fraction of its worth and some were used to pay for housing in camps. Two days later, the government gave the remaining Japanese twenty-four hours to pack a few belongings and move inland. The RCMP arrested Japanese operatives and impounded, indefinitely at the nearest port, one thousand and two hundred fishing boats owned by the Japanese. The issei migrated to the Fraser Valley and along the Pacific coastline, whereas others chose to settle in