Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and Japanese Canadians

Department National Defence: In both countries, the decision was made to round up all residents of Japanese descent on the west coast and forcibly relocate the entire populations to internment camps located away from the coast, according to Rabble. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King decision to intern more than 20,000 Japanese Canadians was not without controversy, but wartime hysteria was high and there was much popular support. The fear in North America was that, should Japan attack, the invaders might be assisted by acts of treason and espionage coming from within the Japanese Canadian or American communities. It is important to note that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Department of National Defence advised that the interment was unwarranted, but racism and economics took precedence. All fishing boats belonging to Japanese Canadians were seized. Internment Japanese Canadians were competitive in the fishing industry and this was an opportunity for non-Japanese to steal their business and profit. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.