During the World War II, there was more than 6
millions of Jews killed by Nazi, most of them killed in the concentration camp
A place where selected groups of people confined, usually for political
reasons. Concentration camps are also known by various other names such as
corrective labor camps, relocation centers, reception camp. Most people think this kind of bloody action
should never happen in Canada.
Unfortunately, our kind, lovely, peace-keeper government also made the
same mistake. They didn't sent Germans to the concentration camp, they sent
Japanese Canadians to the Relocation Camp.
Why did Canadian government sent all the innocent Japanese-Canadians to
the relocation camp? This kind of action
is totally unfair, and why Japanese Canadians had to pay the responsibilities
for the war?
According to official Japanese passport
records, 181 Japanese who left for Canada in 1891 were the first Japanese
immigrants to Canada. Over years, there
are more Japanese immigrates to BC coast.
They have a new life and loyal to the Canada. In the first days after Pearl Harbor, 7
December 1941, Ottawa worried about protecting loyal residents of Japanese
racial origin from the mod violence and demonstrations they had long
feared. The RCMP and provincial police
immediately followed prearranged plans and began interning approximately forty
Japanese nationals whom they suspected of having subversive intentions. All the Japanese Canadians had special identification
that is different then general Canadians. The Royal Canadian Navy began
rounding up the fishing boats operated by Japanese Canadians. On 9 January 1942, as the Ottawa conference
recommended removing 'all male Japanese and other enemy aliens between the ages
of 16 and 50' from coastal areas to reduce the likelihood of sabotage. Tragedy began.
Most of Japanese Canadians forced the leave
coast line. In a month, thousands of
Japanese Canadians disappeared from the Richmond, Steveston area, where the
Japan Town was at that time. Their properties were took over by
government. All the evacuation was taken
fully responsible by an organization named the British Columbia Security
Commission (B.C.S.C.) The first evacuees
entered Hasting park on March, 1942. In
six months, total about eight thousands Japanese moved in. Life in the park was unhuman and
unpleasant. People are not even allow to
live with their families in the camp.
The dorm separated in to three parts: man, woman and children. Share the
washroom with other people. No Japanese
food served, no freedom to talk and no privacy!
Some evacuees described this place is hell. (Roy,p110)
Later, Japanese Canadian had sent out of
Hasting Park in groups. Most of the men were sent to road camps in the
Interior. The government provides jobs
for them. Although they didn 't like the jobs, but better than nothing. And the life qualities is better than the
life in the Hasting Park. The old mining
and lumbering towns were the main
settlements for the evacuees. Kaslo,
Slocan, Tashme and Greenwood were transformed from the ghost town in to crowded
city. The living condition is better
than the camp in the Hasting Park, but still hard to compare to the original
homes. But the prejudices from local
residents, were another trouble that they have to face. Whites did not allow Japanese families live
in their district, and business refuse to hire evacuees. Japanese Canadian students even had hardtime
to stay in school.
Years after Japanese Canadians release from the
relocation camps, although government had apologized for their mistake, but the
wound is hard to recover. Over years, Japanese Canadian still influence by the
relocation camp. Older generation of
Japanese Canadians still afraid to talk about it with younger generation. This
kind of action is totally unfair to Japanese Canadians. Will this ever happen again to any other
people in Canada? And who will be the
next victim? I wish this kind of unhuman action will never ever happen again.
By submitting, i
hereby declare that I have read and understood the rule above.
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