CBC Archives

Write the term “internment” on the board and have students discuss what they think it means. Using a variety of resources, confirm a definition of the term with the class. Then ask: What role might this word have played in Canadian history?

Ask students to brainstorm events in the 20th century that might make Canadians proud and those that might not make them proud. List student responses. Review the list together and ask students to explain their choices. If it is not raised, introduce the issue of the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War.

Direct students to the topic Relocation to Redress: The Internment of Japanese Canadians on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Divide the class into eight groups and have each group review one of the clips. As they view, students should identify the key event described in the clip and make point-form notes to describe the event and its impact on Japanese Canadians.

Gather the groups and, together, plot the events in order to create a timeline of the events from the relocation of Japanese Canadians to the eventual apology from the Canadian government. As each group identifies its event, group members should explain the event and its impact.

View the timeline as a class. Have students use the shared information to tell you what the impetus for internment was, how internment happened, and why an apology was eventually given. Students can review the timeline and offer a supported opinion on its four most significant events. They may also wish to generate a list of further questions they would like answered about the internment of Japanese Canadians. Give them time to browse the site to find these answers.

Have the students browse the Japanese Canadian History Web site (http://www.japanesecanadianhistory.net). How does the timeline there compare to the one they created in class? Students can select two events that are not profiled on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site and explain why they think these events might be included on the Japanese Canadian History site, but not on the CBC site.