The Anti-Asian Movement In Canada

Historian Daryl Joji Maeda called the The Asian American movement “a multiethnic alliance comprising of all ethnicities by drawing on the discourses and ideologies of the Black Power and anti-war movements in the United States as well as decolonization movements around the globe.” By the 1960s, a new generation, less attached to the ethnic differences that plagued Asian immigrant groups, began to grow and work together. The black and white binary race treatment in the US alienated Asian-Americans as an other, causing some to begin their own rally for Asian-American civil rights.

The core of the Japanese experience in Canada lies in the shameful and almost undemocratic suspension of human rights that the Canadian government committed during World War II. As a result, thousands of Japanese were uprooted to be imprisoned in internment camps miles away from their homes. While only a small percentage of the Japanese living in Canada were actually nationals of Japan, those who were Canadian born were, without any concrete evidence, continuously being associated with a country that was nothing but foreign to them. Branded as “enemy aliens”, the Japanese Canadians soon came to the realization that their beloved nation harboured so much hate and anti-Asian sentiments that Canada was becoming just as foreign to them as

The apology given in Parliament to Canadians of Japanese descent for sending them to internment camps during World War II.

Canada ­as a nation is known to the world for being loving, courteous, and typically very welcoming of all ethnicities. Nevertheless, the treatment of Canada’s Indigenous population over the past decades, appears to suggest otherwise. Indigenous people have been tormented and oppressed by the Canadian society for hundreds of years and remain to live under discrimination resulting in cultural brutality. This, and more, has caused severe negative cultural consequences, psychological and sociological effects. The history of the seclusion of Indigenous people has played a prominent aspect in the development and impact of how Indigenous people are treated and perceived in today’s society. Unfortunately, our history with respect to the treatment of Indigenous communities is not something in which we should take pride in. The Indian Act of 1876 is an excellent model of how the behavior of racial and cultural superiority attributed to the destruction of Indigenous culture and beliefs. The Indian Act established by the Canadian government is a policy of Aboriginal assimilation which compels Indigenous parents under threat of prosecution to integrate their children into Residential Schools. As a nation, we are reminded by past actions that has prompted the weakening of the identity of Indigenous peoples. Residential schools has also contributed to the annihilation of Indigenous culture which was to kill the Indian in the child by isolating them from the influence of their parents and

Around the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, British Columbia was in a period of economic explosion. Those who were willing to work hard could find many opportunities. At this time, gold was found in British Columbia and Canada became dependent on workers to finish making the transcontinental railway. Many lumbering, coal mining and fishing business were not experiencing enough growth to match the needs of the society. This portrayed Canada as a place of opportunity and settlement for Asians whose homelands were becoming overcrowded. Sadly, the early pioneer years were extremely difficult for Asian immigrants due to the extensive racism and barriers keeping them from full participation of the Canadian

Canada is presently known for welcoming many racial groups into the country. However, the Canadian government is not always giving out warm welcomes to different ethnicities. During World War Two, the country rejects many Japanese and Italians who are already Canadian. The treatment of the Japanese and Italians in the Second World War is very unjust. The two groups face being put into internment camps against their own will, the government separates families and force men to work on farms with little pay. The government of Canada also mistreat the Japanese and Italian Canadians because they are full of fear and superstition.

Throughout history of not only the United States but also the world, racism has played a huge role in the treatment of other humans. A dark mark in United States history, the Japanese Relocation during WWII is a prime example of this racism coming into play. Whether or not this event was necessary or even justified, however, is a constant question for historians even nowadays. The Japanese relocation of the 1920’s unnecessary and unjustified because it’s main causes: selfish economic plots by farmers, unrealistic military measures, and blatant racism.

As a nation, Canada is known to the rest of the world for being thoughtful, polite, and generally very accepting of all ethnicities and people. However, the treatment of Canada’s Indigenous population, Japanese Canadians, African American and Indigenous slaves seems to suggest otherwise. Canada's dark past may not be talked about often, but there are three main events that targeted specific ethnic groups which still affect those people today. Residential Schools led to major negative cultural consequences, as well as psychological and sociological effects. Japanese-Canadian Internment Camps were used to strip Japanese Canadians of their rights because of the World War II bombing of Pearl Harbor. And finally, for two centuries slavery was legal in New France, and in Lower Canada under British rule. Human beings were being held captive and were owned by many people, including governors, bishops, military officers, priests, and blacksmiths. All of these terrible consequences can be accredited to Canada’s imperialistic policies.

My belief was that people of African descent were the only group that experiences racism, but when I migrated from the Caribbean to a multicultural country—Canada, I soon realize that my understanding of racism was inaccurate and did not reflect social reality. As a result of my new environment, I learnt that racism is solely based on supremacy where a person of a different background may justify their advantages/power by placing a negative meaning behind cultural differences, thus resulting in unequal treatments. In particular, this short journal will briefly explore how slavery affects(d) people of colour in and over race of people in Canada.

     In the spring of 1942, 120,000 Japanese people were evacuated from their homes and denied their Constitutional rights. Amendment 14,

With the belief that they were superior in patriotism, many people alienated minorities during World War II. In terms of the military ranking and task, many minorities were restricted. Many Chinese Canadians were not accepted into the air force or navy. The Japanese Canadians were considered “enemies” and were subjected to many hate crimes during the given time. They were also often turned down when applying for a position in the Canadian armed forces, and deemed unfit. This was highly based on a perspective of generalization and prejudice. Additionally, racism played a part in the

Jeffery S. Denis intuitively unpacks two attitudes towards the apology and actions of rapprochement in response to Residential Schools throughout his article, Bridging Understandings: Anishinaabe and White Perspectives on the Residential School Apology and Prospects for Reconciliation. To obtain the information needed for this piece, Denis interviewed a number of Anishinaabe and European-Canadians in Ontario. The reason for this was to gain perspective of the thoughts and feelings on this, seemingly, controversial matter of Residential Schools. With no significant divide between the Anishinaabe and the European-Canadians, there was a scatter of results. The majority of Anishinaabe that participated in the interviews thought the apology, which

Today, Canada promotes multiculturalism and is accepting of people of all ethnic backgrounds. However, this was not always the case as the Canadian government often mistreated minority groups such as the Jews and the Japanese, especially during World War Two. Anti-Semitism was always prevalent in Canada during the early twentieth century, but as Germany developed these sentiments, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King implemented immigration restrictions targeted at Jews as an attempt to keep them out of Canada. Additionally, the mistreatment of Japanese Canadians heightened after Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in 1941. Consequently, the Canadian government saw Japanese Canadians as enemy aliens and responded by forcibly removing them from

The Psychological impacts put upon the Japanese-Canadians, weren’t just the horrible experiences, or the separation of family and friends. Rather the impact due to the discrimination of the Japanese-Canadians by the government and the rest of society had a deeper impact. The hatred of the Japanese-Canadians by the Government and the people had an Enormous impact on the people’s well being, and the way they viewed themselves. The government after the relocation sold most of the properties and confiscated possessions of the Japanese-Canadians. They also took out all of the Japanese Newspapers, restricted Telephone and mail Services, thus Preventing Communication. Furthermore, the media was full of “Anti-Japanese-Canadian Rhetoric.” Finally the Greatest hatred against came from not the media, nor the government, but the people around them. Sent to remote and deserted areas, or work/concentration camps,

Privilege and power are granted to individuals who belong to a dominant social group, mainly identities such as white, heterosexual, male, English-speaking and many others. People with power and privilege operate on a different level than minority groups. In fact, these social groups often believe that these aspects of their identities are earned through their own delicate work, but rather their privilege is inherited from generations before them. Referencing the article, many members of racialized groups were heavily exploited or marginalized during British Columbia’s 1947 election Act. The Act gave every age-eligible Canadian the right to vote with the exclusion of Japanese and Indigenous peoples, and other religious minorities except those who served in the armed forces (Simalchik, 2016, 59). This example of discrimination against a minority group can be directly related and shaped by the combination of