Italian Internment
Italian immigrants in Canada faced hostility because of the issues occurring in Italy at the time. Many Italians who were sympathetic towards Mussolini, a fascist leader, and italy’s alliance with Germany during World War II, resulted in Italian Canadians to be labelled as ‘enemy aliens’ and were victims of discrimination. People lost their jobs, Italian shops were vandalized, “and some cities refused to allow people with Italian surnames to become municipal employees or to receive welfare; civil liberties were suspended under the War Measures Act.” As a result hundreds of Italian Canadians were interned at Camp Petawawa in northern Ontario, Some, not all had been active fascists, it did not matter all were marginalized it is these people and their families who were denied relief and bore the brunt of the hostilities.” What is interesting is this led to many Italians anglicizing their names and denying there Italian roots. The picture is an oil painting of camp Petawawa, courtesy of the Windsor Star.
