Japanese Internment

“The Yellow Peril”WWII in Canada

Canadian POWs in Hong Kong

Almost 2000 Canadians attacked Hong Kong in 1941

50 000 Japanese troops armed with superior weapons attacked

1672 Canadians were captured and sent to a POW camp in Japan

The prisoners, treated inhumanely, suffered from disease and

starvation.

In 1998 our own Canadian government compensated our

Hong Kong veterans $24 000 each

Back in Canada – War Measures Act invoked again

Fear of Japanese Canadians working as spies resulted in the internment of 22 000

Japanese Canadians were seized, held in barns at Hastings Park then moved into BC’s interior

•The gov’t confiscated Japanese property, possessions were auctioned off and owners received nothing

•Anti-Japanese marches in Vancouver convinced 750 people to move voluntarily

•1945 – Japanese Canadians were forced to either move back to Japan or permanently settle east of the Rocky Mountains

•1988 – our Gov’t apologized and compensated those stillAlive $21 000 each and restored Canadian citizenship to those

deported

•3964 Japanese Canadians were deported, 2000 of them Canadian citizens