Japanese Internment

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 that declared that all people of Japanese origin were considered aliens until the end of World War II.
In the first year of the war the 21000 Japanese who were affected by the war regulations, were sent to various provinces across Canada. The government assured the provinces that the Japanese would stay in agriculture and would be removed after the war, at the provinces request.
The remaining 12000 Japanese were taken to Interior Housing Centers in the middle of B.C. These housing centers consisted of four abandoned mining towns and two completely new communities. 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 called this land claim's.
After the internment and the war, the Prime Minister at the time Makenzie King started to deport Japanese back to Japan. 4000 Japanese Canadians were deported before Makenzie King canceled the deportation order in 1947. In many peoples opinion the cancellation orders were 7 years too late.
There are many arguments which have arisen in Canada because of the Japanese Internment. Many positions have been stated as well as many different points of view. One of the major arguments is the factor of segregation and discrimination that were implied during the internment.