Internment Camps In 20th-Century Canada

Today, Canada is considered to be one of the most welcoming countries in the world. However, Internment Camps, Asian exclusion, and Jewish immigration are three examples that suggest 20th-century Canada was not always a welcoming place for immigrants. For one, a variety of immigrant minority groups prevalent at the time, despite positively contributing socially, culturally, and even economically to Canada, were discriminated against and sent to do our “dirty work” in internment camps by government officials. Another, more specific instance of exclusion in Canada was the formation of the Chinese Head Tax and the various other attempts the government made to seize Asian immigration — after all, “B.C. must remain a white man’s country”. However, …show more content…
Speaking of WWI first, the groups that were interned were immigrants from Austria-Hungary, Ukraine, and Germany. Due to the xenophobia present against these groups at the time, a total of 8,579 prisoners of war were interned across various camps scattered throughout Canada. Each of these camps was located in rural areas — usually in the mountainous landscapes of British Columbia — and the interned faced horrible conditions. Not only were they completely disconnected from their families and the overall society, but the interned also faced having their wealth/property confiscated, being paid only half the daily wage of other workers, unsanitary environments, brutality and resentment from guards, and more. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, “In total, 107 internees died in captivity. Six were shot dead., others succumbed to infectious diseases, work-related injuries, and suicides”. As seen from the number of enemy aliens that were interned and killed/that passed in these various camps and the conditions they faced, it is clear that the minority groups mentioned above were not treated well during the First World War. Regarding the Second World War, different groups were incarcerated …show more content…
There had been a law set in place called the Chinese Head Tax – all Chinese immigrants had to pay a tax of $50 (equivalent to about $1,750 in 2023) which was later raised to $500 to enter Canada – this was done with the hopes of slowing down Chinese immigration. Clearly, this law was rooted in racism and prejudice towards this group. In 1923, the act was revoked and a new one was introduced called the Chinese Immigration Act (also known as the Chinese Exclusion Act) – this prohibited all immigration from China until the year 1947. All of these acts were set in place because employers, the government, and most civilians in general disliked Asian immigrants in Canada for a few reasons. First, it was thought that they could never assimilate into white/European-Canadian society. Also, there was clear anti-Chinese racism because even government officials like Prime Minister Bennett said that, “B.C. must remain a white man’s country” – to provide some context, this was said when more and more Asian immigrants began settling in the West for the construction of the CPR. Based on the examples of hate towards this group mentioned above, it can be said that Canada as a whole did not welcome Asian

Show More

Canadian history isu Essay

Japanese Internment Camps In Ww2 Essay

History Of Sojourners In Canada

Prejudice And Racism In Canada

13th Amendment: An Amendment To The US Constitution

United Nations and World Order Essay