The Treatment of Japanese Canadians in the 1940s: A Social Work Perspective

Abstract

Little research has been done on early social work practice in Canada, particularly as it pertains to social workers from racialized groups. The internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II is of particular interest as seen through the lens of social work discourse. Social workers on the political left were well aware of this racially-motivated internment and lent support to organizations that sought to address their two main concerns: recognizing compensation claims for confiscated property and fighting the deportation of Japanese Canadians. Amy Leigh, a social worker who organized welfare services for the interned Japanese Canadians, expressed a more politically liberal capitalist perspective. She believed it was crucial for the public to clearly understand the work of the British Columbia Security Commission, established to manage the relocation of Japanese Canadians, in order to correct views that the Japanese were either being “ill-treated or spoon-fed”.1 Leigh also encouraged the hiring of Kay (Kato) Shimizu by the BC Security Commission. A Nisei (2nd generation) Japanese Canadian social worker, Shimizu became politicized towards the left by the experience, one that was distinctly different from that of her Caucasian contemporaries in the Canadian Association of Social Workers.