Racial Discrimination In Canada

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Throughout history, racism has been a prevalent theme that has contributed to many social and political problems over the years. However, the racist acts of World War Two towards many minority groups was potentially one of the strongest shows of prejudice the world had ever seen. Although several races were targeted, both on the homefront and overseas, the treatment of Japanese-Canadians during this time period was some of the most brutal and unfair in the history of Canada. Pre-war racial prejudice led to riots and enforced segregation towards all people of Japanese descent. The bombing at Pearl Harbour incited the government to take away all rights from the Japanese and label them as ‘enemy aliens’. As well, Japanese-Canadians, regardless…show more content…
The casualties were harsh, and it was a major devastation to all allied nations (“Pearl Harbour”). The day following the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the following speech, in which he stated: Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God. I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire. (“Pearl Harbour Address to the…show more content…
Directly following this, the Canadian government imposed the War Measures Act, which labelling them as ‘enemy aliens’ and stripping them of all their rights. Many possessions were confiscated, including fishing boats, cars, radios, and cameras, jobs were lost, and all Japanese newspapers and schools were closed. (Hickman and Fukawa, 74). Students of Japanese descent studying at the University of British Columbia were immediately expelled, and a curfew was also imposed, banning Japanese-Canadians from being out of their houses after dusk. To make matters worse, the government then declared in January 1942 that all Japanese were not allowed within 160 kilometers of the west coast, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes- and their lives- behind and move further East, even though 75 percent of Japanese living in Canada at that time were Canadian-born citizens (White). All of this was not only extremely harsh but also rather unnecessary, due to the fact that the Canadian government had no proof that the Japanese-Canadians were consorting with Japan in any way (“The War Years”). Therefore, it is to be said that most of the measures taken against Japanese-Canadians during this time period were based more on racist motives than for the actual security and safety of the Canadian
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