Japanese-Canadian Internment Camps in World War II

Abstract

During World War II, the situation of Japanese Canadians grew dire as Canada headed into battle with the forces of Imperial Japan. Discrimination increased against Japanese Canadians, who were labelled enemies within Canada. Tragically, the Canadian government created internment camps to illegally detain Japanese Canadians, removing them from their homes and placing them in squalid conditions, with little or no freedom of movement. This poster examines the reasons given by the Canadian government for the internment of Japanese Canadians and explores post-war responses by Japanese Canadians to internment. Responses included political mobilization, recovery from economic insolvency due to government seizure of properties, assets, and businesses, and re-insertion into the fabric of Canadian society. The study methodology involved researching accounts from internment camp survivors, consulting Japanese-Canadian and Japanese-American memorial centres, and reviewing historical newspaper articles from key Canadian newspapers. Despite the seizure of their property and assets, interned Japanese Canadians were able to unite and revitalize communities in the face of social trauma.