CANADIAN CONTROVERSIES
OF WWII
Conscription, Interment Camps, War Measures Act ,
and The Holocaust
Conscription of WWII


At the start of WWII, the Prime Minister promised that
there would be no conscription for overseas service.
In the 1940s Prime Minister King introduced the
National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA)



All single men over 18 to register for compulsory military
service.
The drafted soldiers were not sent into combat overseas, but
were to remain in Canada for home defense.
These men were referred to as zombies
Conscription Crisis of 1944



Feeling pressured to introduce
conscription
In 1942, they held a public referendum
regarding conscription
The Prime Minister asked for the nation
to release him from his promise from
1939.


French Canadians voted 73% “NO” (against
conscription)
English Canadians voted 80% “YES” (for
conscription)
Why were French Canadians against
Conscription?

Some key factors:
 Language barrier in the forces
 No loyalty to Britain or France
 Prime Minister should keep his
promise
 Few French speaking officers
 Training in English
 Many French Canadians viewed
Canada’s role as simply supporting
the British in a European war rather
than fighting a war that would
directly affect French Canadians.
Conscription Crisis of 1944

The referendum



Increased casualties meant that
more troops were needed.
King decided to make the
“Zombies” go overseas.



Further appeals for voluntary
enlistment
forced to fight in the war
13000 were sent, 2500 reached the
battle fields
Protests in the streets of
Montreal
Japanese Canadian Internment
Camps
What Rights are Important to Me?
What does Internment Camp mean?


An internment camps are
facilities where enemies or
certain groups of people are
usually kept during war.
People are confined usually
for political reasons not for a
punishment of a crime.
Japanese Canadian Internment Camps

1942, 22 000 Japanese Canadians




Japanese living in B.C. were native
born citizens.
One suitcase of their personal
belongings


To internment camps in B.C
Labour camps on the prairies
Government confiscated everything
else.
All confiscated possessions were sold
at public auctions for profit, to pay
for the internment camps
Reasons

Started after the attack on Pearl
Harbour



For security precaution.
Feared that the Japanese working
in the fishing industry were
charting the coast for the
Japanese navy.
Military and RCMP didn’t want to
act against the Japanese

Federal cabinet minister pushed the
Canadian government to take
action
Results



1942 the War Measures Act gave the
government power to intern all people of
Japanese race.
Resisting caused risk of deportation back to
Japan.
Results of the government were that:



Canadian companies fired all their Japanese
employees
Japanese fish boats were not permitted to leave port.
10 Japanese Internment Camps in
Canada.

They consisted of: 3 road camps, 2 prisoner of war
camps (POW) and 5 self-supporting camps.
Living conditions.


Conditions were poor
Homes were shacks:






Not insulated.
Made out of thin wood boards
Condensation caused walls to freeze in
the winter
Lack of running water and electricity.
There were roofs but no ceilings in the
shacks.
Usually men and teenage boys were
separated from their families.
Aftermath



Freedom on 1 April 1949
43years after WWII in 1988
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
acknowledged the hardship of
the Japanese
Provided compensation
packages for each individual
directly wronged.
The War Measures Act

Statue passed in 1914 that gave Federal Cabinet
that power to govern by decree and to suspend civil
liberties during times of war or national security.
1940 the government revoked the Canadian
citizenship of Italian and German immigrants
 Sent to internment camps

The Holocaust
Anti-Jewish Policy
The Holocaust

Holocaust has a Greek origin
 sacrifice by completely burning.

Nazi Regime systematically rounded up millions of
Jews across Europe and shipped them off to
concentration camps.

Over six million Jews were killed.

Majority of the victims were Jews others included:

Roma, homosexuals, disabled persons, communists, Poles,
Jehovah Witnesses, political prisoners, and resistance
fighters
Concentration Camps



Concentration camps were used to detained the people that the
Nazis persecuted.
 Victims were subjected to inhumane conditions: gassed, worked
and starved to death, executed and completely burned alive.
When the Nazis gained control of the Netherlands, Denmark,
Norway and France, hundreds of thousands Jews were forced to
leave their homes and were crowded into ghettos.
 Warsaw
Canada allow 5 000 Jews to immigrate into the country
S.S. St. Louis During the Holocaust




St. Louis was a ship that carried more than 900
German Jews.
The ship travelled from port to port along the coasts
of North and South America seeking refuge.
No country allowed the ship to enter its harbours
and the St. Louis was forced to return to Europe
Passengers were confined and sent to concentration
camps.
Jewish immigrants during WWII



The United States accepted
200 000 Jews
Britain accepted 195 000 Jews
600 000 Jews were accepted
into other countries such as
Argentina, China, Australia and
Mexico
Welcome to Canada


Between 1947 and 1949, 1,123 Jewish orphans came to
Canada as part of the War Orphans Project.
783 came from concentration camps and 229 from hiding


Most of the orphans that survived were adolescent boys and only 37
were children younger than ten years old.
The majority of the orphans, settled in Montreal, Toronto, Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia.
Time Line

1940- government revoked the Canadian citizenship of Italian and German
immigrants.

1942- Japanese Canadians had to start packing and moving out.

1942- William Lyon Mackenzie held a public referendum


1942- 22 000 Japanese Canadians were brought to internment camps in
B.C.
1942- Order-In-Council passed under the war measures act giving the
federal government the power of intern all people of Japanese race.

1944- Conscription Crisis

1944- a high number of causalities– more troops

1949- Japanese Canadians regained freedom

1947-1949- 1,123 Jewish orphans came to Canada

1988- Prime Minister Brian Mulroney apologized and awarded each
individual that was directly wronged with $ 21, 000