2.  At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the population of British Columbia included around 21,000 Canadians of Japanese origin, 75% of whom had residence rights.  Common belief held was the Japanese were unable to assimilate into Canadian society as easily as Europeans.  PM Mackenzie King expressed a belief in “the extreme difficulty of assimilating Japanese persons in Canada.”

3.  December 7, 1941, President Roosevelt declares it “The Day of Infamy”.

4.  Hong Kong surrendered on Christmas Day 1941.  Of the 1,975 Canadians, 290 were killed and 493 wounded. A further 260 died in the awful conditions of prison camps in Hong Kong and Japan.

5.  Japanese submarines are known to have been operating off the coast of British Columbia  Although RCMP & Canadian military evaluations suggested no imminent threat by Japanese Canadians, this assessment is not universally accepted, as there exists no guarantee of the loyalty, or passivity of Japanese-Canadians.

6.  Resentment against Japanese Canadians exploded into panic and anger in British Columbia.  1,200 fishing boats were seized by the Canadian navy in fear of spying.  The war offered a convenient excuse for Canadians to address the Japanese Canadian question.

7.  1914 – “Gave the government sweeping powers to ensure the security, defence, peace, order, & welfare of Canada.”  Used to imprison CANADIANS of German, Ukrainian, & Slavic descent in WWI.  1939- War Measures Act invoked- this allowed for the internment of ‘enemy aliens’.

8.  Individual Rights  Or  National Security?...  …keeping in mind that people make decisions based on what they know at the time!

9. ■ The movement of 23,000 Japanese Canadians during the war was the largest mass exodus in Canadian history.

10.  Housed in huts with two bedrooms and a kitchen  shared by two families  No electricity or running water until 1943

11.  Hundreds of women & children were squeezed into livestock buildings.  Slept on beds covered in straw for comfort.  Conditions were so poor that food packages were sent from Japan through the Canadian Red Cross to those suffering in the camps.

12.  In 1945, the government extended the Order in Council to force the Japanese Canadians to go to Japan & lose their Canadian citizenship, or move to eastern Canada.  Even though the war was over, it was illegal for Japanese Canadians to return to Vancouver until 1949.  Public protest would eventually stop the deportations, but not before 4000 Japanese left the country.

13.  Forty-three years after the end of the war, Prime minister Brian Mulroney acknowledged the wrong doings of the Canadian government & announced the awarding of $21,000 for each individual directly wronged.  Watch: CBC News: Apology to Japanese Canadians (4 min) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxVZtQULIMQ&feat ure=related  Is this an acceptable redress to the issue?

14.  Have a look at the website  http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net /lessons/gallery_walk01.htm http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net /lessons/gallery_walk01.htm .