Canadian-Italian War Vigilance Association: Italian-Canadian

Giulio Giordani Dept: Some were Italian nationals or naturalized immigrants, and others were active members of a fascist club known as the Cir-colo Giulio Giordani, according to Vancouver Sun. Many others distanced them-selves from fascism as much as possible by joining the local Canadian-Italian War Vigilance Association, which publicly affirmed its allegiance to Canada and in the summer of 1940 Vancouver was a long way from Europe's bloodshed, but distance did little to prevent divisions among the local Italian-Canadian community, forced to choose sides in a war a world away. Of the 4,500 Italians living in Vancouver at the time, nearly 2,000 were deemed "enemy aliens" by the Canadian government. Forty-four Italian-Canadian men who were considered the most suspicious were rounded up in Vancouver and other parts of B.C. and interned in a camp in Kananaskis, Alta. "Enemy aliens" who weren't interned had to report to the RCMP on a monthly basis. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.