Evaluating the effect of Cnadian internment camps for those of Japanese descent during WW2.

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Part A – Plan of Investigation (Word Count: 167)

        Japanese internment camps were one of Canada’s most controversial human rights violations of all time. They caused Caucasian Canadians to look negatively towards those of Japanese descent. The purpose of this investigation is to determine to what extent the withdrawal of human rights affect family life and cultural values of Japanese Canadian’s between the year of 1939 and 1945. Its focus will be on what the Canadian Government did, the outcome, the repossession of the internees’ property, communication and mobility barriers, and the relocation of the Japanese Canadians.

In order to conduct this investigation, an assortment of primary and secondary sources will be used and analyzed to obtain past and present perspectives. An article consisting of primary reminiscences of Japanese women internees “Memories of Internment: Narrating Japanese Canadian Women's Life Stories” by Pamela Sugiman and the secondary source monograph Nikkei Legacy: The Story of Japanese Canadians from Settlement to Today by Toyo Takata will be analyzed for credibility to determine the reliability of the information provided.

Part B – Summary of Facts (Word Count: 854)

1. The repossession of the internees’ properties, created internal and financial struggles amongst families.

  • Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 8th, 1939 the government restricted trades with Japanese companies, freezing assets of Japanese investments.
  • Due to the escalating fear of traitors communicating with their homeland, the Caucasian community began circulating rumours which led to the RCMP’s abrupt and relentless acts of destroying documents, fishing boats, photographs and religious belongs.
  • On January 19th, 1943, Ottawa passed Order in Council PC 469 giving the RCMP and other government authorities the power to sell off property of the internees without their consent.

2. Communication and mobility barriers restricted Japanese-Canadians from attaining knowledge of their community events and continuing their day to day lives

  • The government demanded that all three newspapers printed in Japanese halt production a week after the attack of Pearl Harbour; The New Canadian was able to continue because it was written in English, although it received disrespect from the Caucasian community.
  • In October of 1940, Ottawa created a special oriental committee, which suggested that all Japanese Canadians register for enemy alien status.
  • January 14th, 1942 Prime Minister Mackenzie King fell under public pressure and announced that Japanese male nationals between the age of 18 and 45 were now banned from a hundred mile of B.C’s Pacific shore and are to relocate to an approved location..
  • In June of 1942, the RCMP reported that the conditions that the internees were living in were not secure enough due to their emotional instability and led to stricter curfews and law enforcement in order to discipline the internees.
  • December 12th, 1942, 59 Japanese language schools were ordered to be closed.
  • After the end of WWII, Japanese-Canadians were denied the right to attain their Canadian citizenships for five years following.

3. The relocation of the Japanese-Canadians created anxiety amongst the families.

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  • December 7th, 1941, hours after the Pearl Harbor attack approximately forty families; first and second generation immigrants  in Vancouver, B.C. were broken up; Mounties appeared on their front door step for the men of the family, over the age of 16.
  • Before the creation of the Oriental Council in October of 1940, 2000 men over the age of 16 were sent to road camps, while 1800 were sent away to reestablishment camps which were often in secluded locations without communication to their families
  • Under the War Time Measures Act the government was legally able to imprison ...

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