Italian Canadian internment

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Italian Canadian internment was the removal and internment of Italian Canadians during World War II following Italy's declaration of war against the United Kingdom on June 10, 1940. [1] Through the War Measures Act , the government of Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King gave itself the power to suspend habeas corpus , revoke rights, seize property and arrest those who were deemed a threat to the safety of Canada—labelling 31,000 Italian Canadians as "enemy aliens". [2] Between 1940 and 1943, around 600 to 700 Italian-Canadian men were arrested and sent to internment camps as potentially dangerous "enemy aliens" with alleged fascist connections. In the decades that followed, political apologies were made for the internment of Italian Canadians.

Contents

Enemy aliens

Italian-Canadian man being arrested at Casa d'Italia in Toronto on June 10, 1940 Arrest at Casa d'Italia, Toronto, ON.jpg
Italian-Canadian man being arrested at Casa d'Italia in Toronto on June 10, 1940
Italian-Canadian men at an internment camp Italian-Canadian men at an internment camp.jpg
Italian-Canadian men at an internment camp

On June 10, 1940, following Italy's declaration of war against the United Kingdom, all fascist organizations in Canada were deemed illegal through the War Measures Act . They included the Casa d'Italia consulate on Beverley Street, the fascist newspaper Il Bollettino and the Dopolavoro ("After Work") social club. Casa d'Italia was seized by the Custodian of Enemy Property and sold to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). [3] According to Enemies Within: Italian and Other Internees in Canada and Abroad, edited by historians Franca Iacovetta, Roberto Perin and Angelo Principe, an estimated 3,500 Italian Canadians were known to have been members of local fascist groups. [4]

Newspaper accounts of the day, such as the Ottawa Citizen , stated that the "enemy alien" status was immediately placed on non-resident Italians older than 16 years of age, and on Italian Canadians who became British subjects after September 1929—about 31,000 Italian Canadians. [5] The category later expanded to include nationals of belligerent states naturalized after 1922. Those affected by the War Measures Act and Defence of Canada Regulations were forced to register with the RCMP and report to them on a monthly basis. [6] [2]

Between 1940 and 1943, around 600 to 700 Italian-Canadian men were arrested and sent to internment camps as potentially dangerous "enemy aliens" with alleged fascist connections. While many Italian Canadians had initially supported fascism and Benito Mussolini's regime for its role in enhancing Italy's presence on the world stage, most Italians in Canada did not harbour any ill will against Canada and few remained committed followers of the fascist ideology. [7] [8]

Most of the Italian-Canadian men were interned at Camp Petawawa (Camp 33) in Petawawa, Ontario, as well as camps in Minto, New Brunswick and Kananaskis, Alberta, for several years. [9]

A notable internee was Hamilton, Ontario's notorious bootlegger Rocco Perri. [10]

Legacy

In 1990, prime minister Brian Mulroney apologized for the war internment of Italian Canadians to a Toronto meeting of the National Congress of Italian Canadians: "On behalf of the government and the people of Canada, I offer a full and unqualified apology for the wrongs done to our fellow Canadians of Italian origin during World War II." [11]

In May 2009, Massimo Pacetti introduced Bill C-302, an "Act to recognize the injustice that was done to persons of Italian origin through their 'enemy alien' designation and internment during the Second World War, and to provide for restitution and promote education on Italian Canadian history [worth $2.5 million]", which was passed by the House of Commons on April 28, 2010. [12] Canada Post was also to issue a commemorative stamp in memory of the internment of Italian-Canadian citizens, [13] however, Bill C-302 did not pass through the necessary stages to become law. [14]

In 2013, as a part of the project Monument: Italian Canadian War Stories of the Columbus Centre in Toronto, funded by Villa Charities Inc. and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, artist Harley Valentine created a monument recognizing the internments called Riflessi: Italian Canadian Internment Memorial. [15] The main statue is composed of profiles representing an internee family of Italian Canadians—a father, a pregnant mother, and a child—that combine to form a single figure in mirror polished stainless steel. [16]

In September 2018, the RCMP planted a tree on the grounds of the Canadian Police College in Ottawa as a show of regret for their involvement with the internment of Italian Canadians. [17]

On May 27, 2021, prime minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized for the war internment of Italian Canadians, at the House of Commons. [18]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Canada declares war on Italy". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 10, 1940. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  2. 1 2 DiStefano, Daniela (August 13, 2012). "Tracing the Forgotten History of Italian-Canadian Internment Camps". Panoram Italia. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Arrest at Casa d'Italia, Toronto, ON". Italian Canadians as Enemy Aliens: Memories of World War II. Columbus Centre. June 10, 1940. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  4. ↑ Petrou, Michael (May 3, 2021). "The harm done by Justin Trudeau's apology to Italian-Canadians might require an apology of its own". The Globe and Mail . Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  5. ↑ "R.C.M.P. Warning On Registration Of Enemy Aliens". The Ottawa Evening Citizen . No. 310. June 15, 1940. p. 31. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Under the Law". Italian Canadians as Enemy Aliens: Memories of World War II. Columbus Centre. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Home". Italian Canadians as Enemy Aliens: Memories of World War II. Columbus Centre. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2013.[ not specific enough to verify ]
  8. ↑ "History". pier21.ca. Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  9. ↑ Lederman, Marsha (March 5, 2012). "Shining light on a dark secret: The internment of Italian-Canadians". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ Nicaso, Antonio (2004). Rocco Perri: The Story of Canada's Most Notorious Bootlegger. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. p. 178. ISBN   978-0-470-83526-5.
  11. ↑ Galloway, Gloria (April 30, 2010). "Italians seek new apology from Canada for wartime internments". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Third Session, Fortieth Parliament, House of Commons, Bill C–302" (PDF). Retrieved January 2, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Apology to interned Italian-Canadians questioned". CBC News. May 6, 2010. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Redress and Apology". Italian Canadians as Enemy Aliens: Memories of World War II. Columbus Centre. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Columbus Centre commissions Harley Valentine for its newest project, Monument: Italian Canadian War Stories" (Press release). Columbus Centre. May 14, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Riflessi". harleyvalentine.com. HV Studio. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  17. ↑ "RCMP plant tree to remember internment of Italian-Canadians". CBC News. September 19, 2018. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Trudeau apologizes to Italian Canadians for internment during WW II". CBC News. May 27, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
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