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Agreement-in-Principle With Italian Canadians |
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Written by Government of Canada
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Saturday, 12 November 2005 |
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Prime Minister Paul Martin, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Joe Volpe and Minister of State (Multiculturalism) Raymond Chan today announced an historic agreement-in-principle with the Italian Canadian community.
This is a first step in articulating a shared vision for the acknowledgement, commemoration, and education of Canadians about the experiences of Italian Canadians impacted by the War Measures Act in Canada during the Second World War and in highlighting the contributions that Italian Canadians have made to the building of Canada.
During the second world war, several groups of foreign-born Canadians were rounded up under an imposed War Measures Act and interned in camps for the duration of the war. Along with Italians, Japanese, Ukranian and German expatriates were forced to live in these camps for perceived security reasons. Camps were located in various regions of Canada including Petawawa, Ontario and Gagetown, NB. Some of the interned were outright supporters of Fascism and Nazism but for many, their only crime was to be non-Canadian-born.
Today's agreement-in-principle is part of the Government of Canada's Acknowledgement, Commemoration, and Education (ACE) Program: a three-year, $25 million initiative first announced in the February 2005 budget. Today's agreement-in-principle provides an initial amount of $2.5 million to the Italian Canadian community, subject to the finalization of Program details.
"Canada is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse societies in the world. Today, we recognize this diversity as a source of strength and innovation. Italian Canadians make an invaluable contribution to the very essence of this principle," said Prime Minister Martin. "The Government of Canada is committed to learning from the past, and the agreement in principle we are signing today with the Italian Canadian community demonstrates our shared commitment to learning from the past and celebrating our country's diversity."
The ACE Program will fund eligible proposals that acknowledge the historical experiences of ethnocultural communities impacted by wartime measures, such as internment and immigration restrictions. Initiatives funded through the Program will seek to highlight the contributions made by impacted communities to the shaping of Canada's history.
Representatives of the National Congress of Italian Canadians, the National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association, the Order Sons of Italy of Canada, and La Fondation communautaire canadienne italienne signed the agreement-in-principle on behalf of the Italian Canadian community.
Dominic Campione, President of the National Congress of Italian Canadians said, "The internment of Italians during the Second World War is a dark page in Canadian history, and this agreement-in-principle allows our community the ability to ensure not only that these events will never be forgotten, but that they will never be repeated." |
