Still Perplexed

War always brings with the notion of unintended consequences. During the Second World War, deemed enemy aliens in Canada were interned in various camps in selected areas such as Petawawa and New Brunswick. These included Ukranians, Germans, Italians and of course Japanese whether they were citizens or not. This happened, by the way, in the United States, Australia and the UK.

It was an ugly period but such is war. Perhaps the government over reacted, especially considering it was not our war. Many families and businesses were ruined as a result. To be sure and fair, there were, for example, various Italian fascist organizations operating in Canada to which the Mussolini government was sending funds to create and maintain.

What perplexes me is that only the Japanese are consistently mentioned as being interned during this period. Many media outlets, as well as historians, are guilty in their deliberate omission of the Italian community. Why, I can not ascertain. Part of the problem, I imagine, is the community's timidity in dealing with this period. The CBC has only recently begun to make mere mention of it through some movies they aired but rarely (if ever) have they mentioned it on a political show. Bizarre for a media monopoly that clearly hangs left in its views and supposedly annointed itself as the transmitter of compassionate Canadian multi-cultural values.

Pierre Berton is considered one of Canada's greatest historians. I tend to agree with this. I am presently reading his 'Marching as to War' and he devotes a few pages to the Japanese. Nothing on the Italians. It was disappointing to have this revealed to me. So far, the only historian, that I have come across, of any esteem who has mentioned it, has been J.L Granatstein in his 'Who Killed Canadian History'. I'm sure, I hope, there are others.