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1914-1945: Introduction / War Years / Interwar Years / World War II / Changing Attitudes
World War II
Still, Germans and Italians suffered less than some groups. Canadians tended to direct their wartime resentment directly towards the persons of German leader Adolph Hitler and Italian leader Benito Mussolini rather than Germans and Italians as a group. Moreover, many Canadians had sufficient personal experience with members of both communities to avoid stereotyping Italian and German Canadians as subversive enemies of the war effort. A different war experience awaited Japanese Canadians, who felt the full force of the DOCR legislation. In 1941, Canadians of Japanese descent were required to register with the federal government. The same year, the RCMP seized 1,200 Japanese fishing boats; the custodian of enemy alien property subsequently sold almost all the vessels at auction, below cost.
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National Archives of Canada (PA-037467). |
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Roundup of Japanese Fishing Vessels, Steveston, BC, 10 Dec. 1941. Using the Defence of Canada Regulations (DOCR) enacted in 1939, the federal government seized and then sold hundreds of fishing boats that belonged to Japanese Canadians. |
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