Minorities in WWII CanadaWomen and the War EffortWar BridesJapanese InternmentEnemy Aliens
Women in the War Effort• Women went back to
Work!- Worked in war industry
roles that were traditionally masculine
- Welders, drillers, machine operators
Women in high demand!- Some companies built
dormitories close to factories
Employment Programs for Women• National Selective
Service Program - registered women for work in
factories and established daycare centers
- Ontario and Quebec
• Canadian Women’s Army Corps
- served as clerks, drivers, and nurses
By 1945 almost 1/3 of women employed in the War Effort
Rosie the Riveter/ Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl
Enemy Aliens•Nationals living in
a country that is at war with their homeland
•The government considered them a security risk
Japanese Canadians•1941 Pearl
Harbour attacks and the Invasion of Hong Kong increased anti-Japanese sentiment in Canada
- 22 000 Japanese Canadians living in BC
Japanese Internment Camps• 1942 the War
Measures Act invoked• All Japanese
Canadians “invited” to move to the Okanogan Valley
- Settled in “temporary” relocation centers
- Soon forced to leave the coast
- Separated families- Forced to stay until the
end of the war
David SuzukiInterned with his mother when he was 6
Father forced to work in labour camp
It gets Worse!•1943 federal officials called Custodians of
Enemy Property, were given the power to confiscate and sell Japanese Canadian’s property
- People lost everything
•1945 the federal government gave a choice
- Move to war torn Japan or Move to the Rocky Mountains
- Supreme Court upheld the government - Over 2000 Japanese Canadians deported
Scar of the Great White North•1947 the
government cancels the policy
•1988 Apology to Japanese Canadians
- $21 000 each in compensation
- Restore Canadian citizenship for deported
