JAPANESE IN CANADA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 28 September 1944, Page 3

JAPANESE IN CANADA

PROBLEM FOR GOVERNMENT Ottawa, Aug. 7. In the course of the External Affairs Estimates on Friday, the Prime Minister (Mr W. L. Mackenzie King) spoke of persons of Japanese origin in Canada who number about 23,000. He emphasised that the Government recognised that the problem was one to be faced and dealt with not‘.merely by British Columbia but by the whole country. The Government, he added, had certain basic principles before it in formulating policy. In the first place, in view of the concern felt in British Columbia, it must be accepted as a basic factor that it would be unwise and undesirable, not only from the point of view of the people of British Columbia, but also from that of persons of Japanese origin themselves, to allow the Japanese population to be concentrated in that province after the war. Secondly, account must be taken of the fact that for the most part, people of the Japanese race have remained loyal and have refrained from acts of sabotage and obstruction during the war. For the future protection of those who remained loyal, as well as to eliminate those who had shown that their true allegiance was not to Canada but to Japan, whether Japanese nationals or British subjects by naturalisation, or birth, and who have shown disloyalty to Canada during the war, should not have the privilege of remaining in Canada after the struggle terminated. Thirdly, the Government was of the view that, having regard to the strong feeling that has been aroused against Japanese during the war, and to the extreme difficulty of assimilating Japanese persons in Canada, immigration of Japanese into Canada should not be allowed after the war. “It is realised, of course, that no declaration of this type can or should be attempted which would be binding indefinitely in the future,” Mr King stated. “Nevertheless, as a guiding principle in the years after the war it is felt that Japanese immigrants should not be allowed.” Finally, the Government considered that, while there were disloyal persons to be removed, while future immigration was undesirable, and while problems of assimilation did present themselves with respect even to loyal Japanese in Canada, nevertheless, there were persons who had been admitted to settle, or who had been born in Canada "and that we cannot do less than treat such persons fairly and justly.’