Home · War & Conflict · Second World War · Relocation to Redress: The Internment of the Japanese Canadians
Topic spans: 1941 - 1997
Relocation to Redress: The Internment of the Japanese Canadians
As Canadian soldiers were fighting overseas in the name of democracy, at home the federal government was staging the largest mass exodus in Canadian history. During the Second World War, roughly 22,000 Japanese Canadians were forcibly evacuated from the west coast and resettled in other parts of the country. Their struggle continued after the war as they fought for an apology and redress for their loss. CBC Television and Radio covered the crucial issues in their journey from relocation to redress.
Photo of Japanese woman and kids from Library and Archives Canada - C046355
10 television clips
14 radio clips
'A date which will live in infamy...'
Broadcast Date: Dec. 8, 1941
On Dec. 7, 1941, the American Pacific fleet, moored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is attacked by Japanese planes. The damage is extensive – 19 naval vessels are badly damaged or sunk, 188 American aircraft are decimated, more than 2,300 are killed and 1,109 are wounded. In this address to the United States of America, President Franklin Roosevelt declares war on Japan. "Always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against them," he says conclusively.Canadians also rally against the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Many feel this assault brings the war dangerously close to the home front. Japanese Canadians, already a community subject to prejudice, anticipate more restrictions.
'A date which will live in infamy...'
• President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942. It ordered the evacuation and relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Roughly 120,000 Americans were interned.• On Feb. 26, 1942, the Canadian government issued a formal evacuation policy under the War Measures Act. Japanese Canadians were moved to the stables in Vancouver's Hastings Park before being relocated to ghost towns in the wilderness of the B.C. interior.
'A date which will live in infamy...'
Medium: Radio
Program: CBC Radio News Special
Broadcast Date: Dec. 8, 1941
Speaker: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Duration: 7:27
Photo: U.S. Navy Photograph # C-5904
Last updated:
May 7, 2008
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24 clips in this topic . page
Television
4:29
Sept. 22, 1988
A formal apology and compensation package are offered to the Japanese Canadian community.
Radio
4:01
Dec. 13, 1950
Bill Herbert reports on the arrival in Japan of the first Canadian soldiers heading for action with United Nations forces in Korea.
Topic from Radio-Canada
For Teachers - Educational activities
External sites
- National Association of Japanese Canadians
- University of Washington Libraries: Japanese Canadian Internment
- Internment of Ukranians in Canada 1914-1920
- Japanese Canadian History
- Japanese Canadian National Museum
- Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
- History of The New Canadian
- National Archives: Living Memory: Muriel Kitagawa
'A date which will live in infamy...'.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: May 7, 2008.
[Page consulted on Feb. 9, 2010.]