Racial stereotyping history a sign of another danger of war
On June 10, 1940, Italy’s fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, sided with Germany in the Second World War. Canada immediately declared war against Italy, and thousands of lawabiding Italian-Canadians were instantly labelled as “enemy aliens” under the War Measures Act.
RCMP officers wasted no time in identifying and rounding-up Italian-Canadian men. Before the war’s end, more than 600 ItalianCanadians were forced into internment camps. The families of the interned were given no idea as to when their loved ones would be released.
The War Measures Act granted sweeping powers to the government based on the existence of war or as required for national emergencies. The law also legalized the power of arrest for anyone deemed an “enemy alien.” Many of the ItalianCanadians scooped up by the RCMP were held for up to three years, with no formal charges laid.
Regrettably, there have been other shameful periods in our country’s past when the law has targeted specific racial or ethnic groups, and when basic civil rights were rendered silent — in the name of national security. During these “not-so-proud” moments in Canadian history, unwarranted fear and harmful ethnic stereotypes contributed to the adoption of repressive measures that have since been recognized as stark examples of systemic discrimination.
The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 enacted the impugned “Chinese Head Tax.” The law was designed to deter Chinese immigration, which was perceived as a threat to the culture, economy and security of Canada. The law levied a $50 tax on only Chinese immigrants. The tax was steadily increased in the years that followed. By 1903, it had reached the amount of $500, which at that time was equivalent to roughly two years’ wages.
In 1923, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in order to outright prohibit Chinese immigration. That draconian law remained in place until 1947, and it resulted in the exodus of more than 60,000 Chinese-Canadians. While the Exclusion Act was in place, less than 50 Chinese people were permitted to immigrate into Canada.
In 1942, more than 21,000 Japanese-Canadians were affected by the War Measures Act. Japan’s entry into the Second World War prompted our government to claim “military necessity” as a justification for the mass relocation and internment of Japanese-Canadians. Most of the men were forced into work camps. Women, children and the aged were interned elsewhere, which resulted in many families being split up. Those who resisted were jailed in a prisoner-ofwar camp. The injustice did not end there — Japanese families also had their hardearned property confiscated and sold as a means to fund their internment.
The treatment that our Italian, Chinese and Japanese compatriots received at the hands of their own government emanated from anger, social hysteria and the existence of harmful ethnic or racial stereotypes that were prevalent at the time. Despite such hard lessons learned, the link between war and the practice of ethnic stereotyping has not weakened with the passage of time.
Our nation’s history reminds us that there are many casualties in war. As a multicultural society, we must not forget that the danger in war lies not only in what our enemies can do to us.
Prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the legal debate in Canada surrounding the practice of racial/ethnic profiling focused on the use of the technique by police officers to detain and investigate visible minorities.
Profiling occurs when race or ethnicity, on their own, or in conjunction with other factors, contribute to the decision to stop and investigate an individual.
In examining the practice of profiling, our courts have recognized that the conduct may stem from negative stereotyping — as opposed to overt racism.
After the 9/11 terror strikes, the United States declared “war on terrorism.”
The call to war embodied America’s response to the attacks, and it was adopted by other nations, including our own.
The war established very clear lines, and it instantly created an “us” against “them” enemy paradigm.
Thereafter, the controversy surrounding ethnic profiling expanded into the realm of counter-terrorism.
As debates waged in the “us” against “them” dichotomy that pervaded Western politics, our nation witnessed the rapid proliferation of yet another insidious ethnic stereotype that painted Muslims and Middle Easterners as terrorists. Lawmakers and politicians no longer focused on whether ethnic profiling existed, or what could be done to eradicate the practice.
Instead, the question being posed was whether profiling should be utilized to combat terrorism. Indeed, even Canadian officials posed the question whether every Arab person who journeyed into Canada should be subjected to enhanced security measures.
Our nation’s history reminds us that there are many casualties in war. As a multicultural society, we must not forget that the danger in war lies not only in what our enemies can do to us.
Danger also lurks in what we can do to ourselves when we resort to laws and measures that are based on shock, anger, overreaction and discrimination.