WW1 monument honoring Japanese-Canadian soldiers recalls racism in B.C.

VANCOUVER – Refurbishments are underway on a First World War cenotaph in Vancouver’s Stanley Park honouring Japanese-Canadian soldiers — a memorial that stands as both a testament to their patriotism and a reminder of Canada’s prejudiced past.

Many of those remembered by the monument were denied the right to enlist in British Columbia at the start of the war and had to travel to Alberta, where they joined up with regiments like the Calgary Highlanders.

Dozens died while fighting in Europe, and shortly after the war ended, the limestone cenotaph was erected, etched with the names of the men who fought.Prof. Tim Cook, a historian at the Canadian War Museum and an adjunct research professor at Carleton University, said Canadians of African and Asian ancestry, as well as First Nations, all faced discrimination.

“Canada was not the multicultural country that it is today,” he said. “It was very much a prejudiced society.”After Britain declared war on Aug. 4, 1914, most of the first recruits were Anglo-Saxon and English speaking, and those who weren’t were simply turned away, said Cook.