Ad - Friday. December 14, 1984 - North Shore News WAAAY WE - ANADIANS ARE Strictly personal by Boa Hunter Racial tarnish GROPING | slowly towards a recognition that those of our members who were rounded up and ship- ped off to concentration camps at the time of the Second World War simply because they were of Japanese stock should at least receive an apology for having their mghts as Canadian citizens stripped away. Let's review the recent history of the matter I ast year an all-party Commons committee concluded that Japanese-Canadians should be compensated tor the pro- perty that was stolen from them by the wartime [ iberal government and sold at fire sale prices The documents ot the Mackenzie King government show clearly that the intern ment of 21,000 people occur red not because the RO MP or the military thought for a minute that they represented any kind ot Fitth threat, but simply because the (orits ot the day decided tO khowtow to oa Column vourterous Tacist element oan British Columbia Today, a. fifetime later, that act of mass internment still casts a pall across the True North Strong and what? You can't call ous “tree if we can be rounded up by the thousands at the whim oof the povernment simply because they don't like our looks of the shape of our eyes **Hell, we com- pensate people who were mugged ina back alley by petty thieves.’ Itis not yust a matter ot na tronal and na honal dignity that we admit the crime and compensate the CONS CICH Le Sdetims. tt ots alsa. oat this Point. a test of the integrity of our shiny new tederal government Before the elec Hon, Brian Mulroney said he was in tavor of compensation for Japanese-Canadians Said Mulroney on May 16, 1984, 1n Toronto: ‘'! feel very strongly that Canadian euizens whose mnghts were abused and siolated and trampled upon indeed should be compensated "' A couple of weeks ago, the best Mulroney's Multicultur- alism Monister Jack Murta could say was that an apology ta the Japanese Canadians “is very likely There was no mention at compensation Hell, we compensate peo ple who were muppved in a back alley by petty thieves What the Canadian govern ment did to Japanese Canadians during the war was basically no ditterent, except that their homes and Ships and greenhouses and property were robbed, too Recently. § was re reading an aecount of the Dresvtus Attar. which shook France fo her roots at the end of the last century NA single officer, Altred Drevtus. was shipped off ta Desil’s Esland, charged with spying, where he rotted for tive vears before a con vulsson oof outraged public opinton forced a re trial as We require oa ¢ Woes Public Service Commission oft Canada Information systems Coordinator Canadian Coast Gard North Vian ousves arn cpeeal Ona es Sa tere Np re tye cad robbs ara pres al Seb bb eta the tataee rat ova bay pohatener oy rede s Pived eevee vaepee tree ret bP be be tere bab beeen ves Nvsternrs worabeh pore ce at or Pr adteriges SS OO ta , A Oe tbe fo bbot apopebas a er vl re Me tpeprdes uhaecns AS a tie eauke stat ddy oe Commission de la Fonction publique du Canada Be ttenby © chee ae © Cari fa Drevftus was ofiginatty court-martialled in) camera Convinced of Dis guilt, top military officers trumped up charges, forged documents and leaked outright hes to the press to justify Dreyfus’ con victiion. It was no small part of the matter that Drevtus happened to be a Jew Racial prejudice as well as hysterical French nationalism played their part in the drama. Oh yes, and the menace of German military might lurk in the background, justifying everything that was done. A kind of Teutonic Peril. The parallels with Canada’s tnternment of the Japanese-Canadians are breathtaking, except, in our case, there were 21,000 Drevfuses. And in our case, to our eternal shame, there was no roar of outrage trom Canada’s intelligensia of polittsians Governments did NOT fail At othe height of the Drevtus Attar, the preat French stateman Georges Clemenceau proclaimed “There can be no patriotism without yustice AS SOOn ds 299" ortere vag, | if i Head S The Sports Network Vy Phone-tastic the right of one individual ts violated, the right ot everyone is jeopardized. ”’ Precisely. Yet this 1s something that tor over 40 years has tailed to penetrate the small minds of successive Canadian prime ministers and cabinet ministers Until amends are made for the at fair of the Japanese- Canadians, this country will feamin a tarnished, plete democracy Yhe Tomes have a duty as well as an historical oppor- tunity to heal the wound. If they don't, their credibility will begin a long Liberal-lke disintegration Remember your “very strong’’ feelings, Mr. Mulroney. INCOM - Introducing ... Meat & spinach canellont or lasagne — includes garlic bread $650 4 ‘Free cookies! tae! debcrously tree POCO aTe OME. 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