-
The first of Japanese immigrants came to Canada in the late 1870's, and have since experienced discrimination.
-
In 1907, a white mob tore up and vandalized Asian communities in Vancouver to protest their disapproval of Japanese Canadian living amid them. Their hopes were to persuade the government to end all immigration to Canada from China and Japan
-
In 1939, at the beginning of WW2, the federal government of Canada re-enacted the War Measures Act, which would allow them to take drastic measures during the time of war to ensure safety and security throughout the nation
-
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a sudden attack on the US naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This triggered the thought that Japanese citizens in North America were spies for Japan, and that's when the internment operations began
-
By December 16, 1941, a new law had been passed, requiring all people of Japanese heritage to register as "enemy aliens", children, adults and elderly alike. Adults were also obligated to carry around identity cards, which were often asked for by the RCMP whilst they were out in public.
-
Beginning January 16, 1942, under the authority of the War Measures Act, the federal government places notices in public places, declaring certain area's of British Columbia prohibited to anyone of Japanese origin. In February of that same year, expulsion began. The government started by gathering all Japanese Canadian men between the ages of 18 and 45, and transferring them to road camps in BC's interior
-
On January 23, 1943, the Canadian government gave the Custodian of Enemy Alien Property the right to dispose of all possessions and wealth that belonged to Japanese Canadians. This permission was granted during the time that Japanese Canadians were still confined to the internment camps, so there was no one to advocate for the Japanese or stop the government. The property was sold for much less than their actual worth.
-
In 1946, the Canada began to deport Japanese Canadians to Japan, a nation many of them barely knew, and one that had been torn by war.
-
In 1947, after the exiling of roughly 4,000 Japanese Canadians, the order was put to an end. Nothing could be done about the 4,000 that had already been shipped, but it had been decided that no more would have to restart their lives in a completely new country
-
On April 1, 1949, the Japanese internment operations finally came to an end. The internees were released from the camps and were free to move about and settle wherever they wished.
