Canadian Minorities in World War II

French Canadians in WWII• The army had some French speaking units, but

the language of the air force and navy was English. French speakers were not even guaranteed a spot in French speaking units.

• In 1942, P.M. Mackenzie King held a referendum to ask Canadians if they would release the government from its promise not to introduce conscription.

• Opposition to conscription was strongest inQuebec, where many people believed that Canadians, should not be forced to fight.

• In Quebec, 80% voted no, and in the rest of Canada, 80% voted yes.

• As a result, Quebecers became the target of insults by other Canadians, who called them cowards.

• Some Canadians defended Quebecers.

• Journalist Bruce Hutchison, an editor for the Winnipeg Free Press, wrote that these insults were motivated by racism against French speakers

Time: 8:26

Black Canadians in WWII• Black Canadians were originally rejected, but

many were accepted later in the war.• Even if they were accepted, they still suffered

discrimination.• There was still some segregation in the Canadian

forces until the end of the war and Black soldiers often had difficulty earning promotions.

• Hundreds served.

Alvin Duncan (1945)• One of two Black Canadian men in the Radar Division (a top secret operation of the Allied Forces).

• Black people in Pictou County, N.S., supported the war effort.

• About 20 enlisted.

• On the home front, the men prepared Christmas boxes for the troops and worked at the shell factory.

• The women organized a club to promote buying government war bonds and a sewing circle and worked in the shipyard.

Black Canadians in Nova Scotia

Black Canadian Veterans• WWII did not end racism. Many black

soldiers were denied their old jobs after returning home from the war.

Chinese Canadians in WWII

• Chinese Canadians did not have the right to vote and could not work in certain professions.

• They were rarely accepted into the military until the war shifted to Asia and military officials realised that they would be useful for undercover work.

600 Chinese Canadians served.

3000 Chinese Americans served.

• “Operation Oblivion” was a dangerous mission against the Japanese.

• Some of the skills they were trained for include:

Operation Oblivion

"Operation Oblivion“: Meal break at training area - "Commando Bay"

• sabotage • demolition • ambush• communications• unarmed combat• small arms • silent killing

• 13 specially selected Chinese Canadian soldiers were trained for a top-secret mission called “Operation Oblivion.”

• The soldiers were told not to expect to return and given a cyanide pill in case of capture.

• The mission was cancelled at the last minute.

• Instead, they were sent to Borneo and, to everyone’s surprise, returned alive.

John Ko Bong helped lobby British Columbia's Premier, John Hart, to allow Chinese into the military and became a member of Operation Oblivion.

Japanese Canadians in WWII• Many Japanese Canadians were refused

when they tried to enlist.

• Those who managed to join had to leave B.C.

• In January of 1945, 150 Japanese Canadians were accepted into the Canadian Intelligence Corps after pressure from the British government.

Aboriginal Canadians in WWII• Aboriginal people did not have the right

to vote and were not considered citizens, but many still volunteered to serve.

• Over 3000 served

• Over 200 lost their lives

• They were part of every major battle, including Dieppe and the Normandy Invasion.

• Most served in the infantry but they were also pilots, snipers, scouts, code talkers, and military leaders.

Aboriginal Soldiers

Thomas George “Tommy” Prince• Served in WWII and the Korean War.• Canada's most decorated Aboriginal

soldier

King George VI giving Tommy Prince the Military Medal for gallantry in 1945

• Prince was a successful soldier because of the skills he learned growing up as an Ojibway.

• He was a superb marksman and an expert at tracking and making his way unseen around the enemy.

• Prince belonged to the First Special Service Force (FSSF), an elite American-Canadian commando unit. Germans called it “The Devil's Brigade.”

Prince’s 1944 FSSF Missions• He volunteered to run a 1400m communications

line to an abandoned farmhouse less than 200 m from German territory.

• He set up an observation post and reported on German activity for three days.

• On another mission, Prince walked 70km across rugged, mountain terrain, going 72 hours without food, water or sleep.

• He reported back to his unit and led them to the enemy base, resulting in the capture of over 1,000 German soldiers.

Aboriginal Veterans• Some Aboriginal volunteers were told that if

they enlisted they would have to become enfranchised, which meant giving up their Indian status.

• In many cases, enfranchisement was also a condition for receiving benefits after the war.

• Overall, they did not receive the same benefits as other Canadian veterans (e.g. vocational training, university education and government benefits for owning land or starting a business)

• Prior to 1992, Aboriginal Veterans had to wait until the official Canadian memorial service was over to honour their fallen comrades.

• They were allowed to place a wreath for the first time on November 11, 1992 .

Recognizing Aboriginal Veterans