The Dominion's 24,000 Japanese had Ottawa puzzled. What to do with them?
After Pearl Harbor the Government cleared all Japanese, both Canadian and foreign-born, out of the Pacific Coast area, resettled them in the interior of British Columbia and five other provinces. The policy was contradictory: the provinces were told that the move was temporary; British Columbia was assured that the Japs would be permanently dispersed. The Government conducted a survey among the resettled Japs, gave each a clear-cut choice: stay or go to Japan. More than 10,000 elected to go.
This week, as Ottawa waited for permission from Douglas MacArthur...