The Triumph of Citizenship: The Japanese and Chinese in Canada, 1941–67.

Karen Danielson, Ph.D., is a research consultant at Laurentian
University who specializes in leisure, textiles, family life, and Japan.

This is the third monograph in a trilogy about Japanese and Chinese Canadians. It covers in detail the decision to evacuate Japanese residents from the coast of British Columbia, as well as the debates about repatriation and responsibility for their welfare.

Patricia E. Roy includes many quotations that illustrate the importance of popular opinion, the dominance of self-interest, the power of friendship and familiarity, the pressure for assimilation, and the impact of international events. Fear dominated many discriminatory statements during the war but Roy confirms that people at that time were also concerned about racism and warned against acts of “Hitler-like racial prejudice,” since that was what the country was fighting against.

Roy manages to describe the wide range of commentary from this time. Quotations express the worries about fifth-column activity during the war, competition for scarce resources, fears about cheap labour in some communities combined with labour shortages in others, concerns about retaliation against Canadians in Japan, federal/provincial differences, and pressure from decisions made in the United States.

While the Chinese shared some of the same experiences, China’s larger population, their allied position during the war, their link with the British in Hong Kong, and their postwar Communist regime caused different reactions in Canada. Nevertheless, Roy shows that the elimination of racism and the path to full Canadian citizenship was ultimately shared by all Asians when the immigration policy of 1967 shifted to skills rather than questions about people’s origins.

This is the very important story about how citizenship for everyone was achieved in Canada. Since Roy presents the material in a non-judgmental way, the reader can appreciate how important it was that people were restrained during these times of fear and loss. As well, her data confirms that understanding and compassion were crucial to the outcome. Roy’s work will no doubt provide a basis for many renditions of the story about how Canadian citizenship has evolved. It is a story every resident is likely to appreciate.