Japanese Internment Camps



Japanese Internment Camps

This notice was distributed throughout British Columbia. If any Japanese were found in the prohibited areas listed, they would be incarcerated.

Taken from:(lib.washington)

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Many historians believe internments camps came about because of racist attitudes Canadians held towards Japanese Canadian's-many of whom lived in BC. Once the bombing on Pearl Harbour happened, racism came to a head. British Columbians started to blame all their troubles and problems on the Japanese. Japanese people were blamed for everything from a bad crop to a flat tire. The scared people of BC cried out, wanting the BC Government to deal with the problem as they saw it-Japanese Canadians. The people of British Columbia wanted to feel safe in their homes again and they wanted Prime Minister Mackenzie King to rid Canada of people of Japanese origin. They were causing a threat to Canada (or so it was believed by the public.) Mackenzie King wanted votes from B.C. so he was more than happy to do what they asked. Mackenzie's first order of business was to incarcerate all Japanese males between the ages 14 and 45. They were ordered to move more than 160 km inland. This was to "safe guard" the pacific coast from Japanese spies. The Canadian government took away all of the Japanese fishing fleets, in order to protect Canada.

Over a nine month period 22,000 people were taken from their homes and scattered throughout BC. By October 1942, the Canadian government had set up 8 internment camps in interior BC. They were in Kaslo, New Denver, Tashme, Roseberry, Slocan City, Lemon Creek, Sandon, and Greenwood. Tashme was named after 3 leading BC security commissioners; TAlor, SHirras, and MEad.

The war caused a large labour shortage for farmers, especially sugar beet farmers. The Security Commission Council organized sugar beet projects to combat the labour shortage. This gave the Japanese males a choice. The choice was to work in road camps as slaves or go to the beet camps and be with their families. Working in the beet camps was the choice taken by the majority of Japanese married men.

Japanese Canadians were being punished for a crime they didn't commit. Canada's only defence for its actions was that Japanese people were not white and they "could" be Japanese spies. Innocent Japanese Canadians were stripped of their rights, issued special clothing, humiliated, thrown behind barb wire fences, and were forced to do manual labour.

Living in interment camps was a hard life to live. Many families were forced to live in cramped quarters with ten other families sharing one stove. Some camps such as Slocan city; didn't have the recourses to house the huge amounts of people coming into the camps. Many Japanese were placed in tents until there were houses available. One would think that moving from a tent to a house would be a step up, but this was not true. Most houses consisted of panel board with no insulation, rickety walls and maybe a stove. During the harsh cold winters many Japanese put lanterns under their beds to try and keep warm.

In the years that followed the Japanese Internees were able to make the camps feel more like home. They petitioned the Royal Commission for better housing and more stoves. After the Japanese petitioned and protested, the Government allowed a few changes. Families were able to grow vegetable gardens, dig basements and create extra rooms. Japanese internees continued on with life, putting on festivals and musical events. The BC Government refused to fund education for young Japanese Canadians. Then the Federal Government stepped in and helped out the Japanese and arranged classes from grades 1-10. With the help of the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, and the United Church high school became a reality so grades 11-12 came into effect as well. The first place to get a school up and running was in Lemon Creek.

Before the bombing of Pearl Harbour, young Japanese Canadians were allowed to enroll in the Canadian Army. Once the bombing occurred the BC Government would not allow the Japanese to enroll into the army. Some Japanese Canadians decided to fight for the British, this made the BC Government change their minds.

An even bigger insult occurred to the Canadian born Japanese. Canada sold all of their worldly possessions. In 1943 the Canadian "Custodian of Aliens" liquidated these worldly possessions without the owner's permission. The Custodian of Aliens held auctions for these items. These items would range from farms and to houses, to people's clothing. They were sold quickly and prices were insultingly cheap. The money that was raised from these auctions went to the realtors and the auctioneers; then it went to paying for storage and the handling charges. The Japanese had to pay for their stay at these horrid camps. While under the Geneva Convention prisoners of war (POW) didn't have to pay for their camps. In comparison to what the American Government paid for their internment camps, Canada paid a quarter of what than the USA did.

In 1944, with an election coming up, King re-instated the fear of Japanese in BC. Even after saying in August 1944, "it is a fact no person of Japanese race born in Canada has been charged with any act of sabotage or disloyalty during the years at war.” King still passed the law stating that the Japanese could be deported to Japan if they did not leave BC. This was called repatriatism. People could be deported to Japan even if they were not of Japanese origin. Those Japanese who moved east to get away from deportation were prohibited to buy land; they had to lease land, and to grow crops they needed special licenses. These licenses were upheld until April 1946. Some Japanese Canadians signed papers stating they would leave Canada after the war was over. Of the 22,000 Japanese Canadians placed in the internment camps 4,000 were stripped of their Canadian citizenship and then deported to Japan. Then after the war, 6,000 people were sent over to Japan.

In 1945 the deportation orders were contested in the BC Supreme Court. Justice Manson dismissed the case on a technicality, ruling that because the Security Commission had since dissolved, no suit could be brought against it. In 1946, the government upheld the Security Commission's decision to deport Japanese Canadians to Japan.

In 1988, 46 years after the first Japanese Internment Camps, Canadian Japanese were compensated for all that they had endured during the war. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney signed a compensation package giving $21,000 for each internee's survivor. In total 12 million dollars were paid out.

1. What was the reason for the camps being set up?

2. What was life like in the camps? What did the Government do to improve the camps?

3. What happened to Canadian born Japanese citizens?

4. What law did King pass in 1944? How long did it hold up?

5. How did the Government deal with the problem in 1988?

6. Assignment: Pretend that you are living in Canada during WWII. The Japanese internment is a hot topic in the news. Write a letter to the editor in which you argue against the internment of your fellow citizens.

You must:

• summarize the story of the internment

• provide reasons why it is wrong for the Canadian government to be rounding up its own citizens

• Make a convincing case so you can persuade your fellow Canadians to stop the internment.

Your letter to the editor must be at least ten sentences in length

It will be handed in next class and evaluated for its factual content and convincing argument. You may want to do some extra research to help support your argument. Pgs 237-239 in your textbook will help.



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