Mr. Speaker, in its short history, Canada has committed a number of reprehensible acts.
Just think of first nations and Inuit peoples, who have experienced and continue to experience discrimination, while many communities still do not have access to clean drinking water. Think of the Chinese community, whose members were unfairly taxed upon arrival in Canada and who worked on the railroad in deplorable conditions. Think of Ontario's Regulation 17 to assimilate Franco-Ontarians, and other similar laws passed in other provinces. Think of the Japanese community, whose members were interned during the Second World War.
Another community that was a victim of abuse by Canada is the Italian-Canadian community. It truly deserves an apology from the federal government. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I join my colleagues in condemning the treatment of the Italian-Canadian community from 1940 to 1945.
At that time, Canada had invoked the War Measures Act, which made it possible for the government to intern and discriminate against many Canadians, without a warrant and with the sole justification that they came from a country with which Canada was at war. The government quickly implemented a series of discriminatory measures against its own citizens. That is what happened to Italian Canadians after Canada declared war on Italy on June 10, 1940.
Overnight, 31,000 Italian Canadians were officially designated as enemy aliens just because they came from Italy. Some of these people had been living in Canada for decades. They were fully integrated into society. They nevertheless became enemies in the eyes of Canada.
This enemy alien label came with a series of discriminatory measures against these people who, in fact, had committed no crime. Under these measures, anyone born in Italy was required to register with the authorities and report to them monthly, among other restrictions, which prevented them from moving around freely in Canada. The government could even enter their homes, search the premises and seize their property.
At a time when Canada had a severe labour shortage to contribute to the war effort at the factories, Italian Canadians were living in extreme poverty, often unable to find a simple job.
Boycotts of businesses owned by Italian Canadians were not uncommon. The government also seized property and ordered the closure of Italian associations. More than 600 Italian Canadians were sent to jail between 1940 and 1945. In Montreal alone, 200 men were interned. These men were imprisoned because they were believed to be sympathizers of Mussolini's fascist regime. Sometimes that was the case.
The Mussolini regime did indeed use the diaspora to promote its own interests and many Italian nationals, like many other Canadians, were enticed by fascism. Many interned Italian Canadians had no connection to the Mussolini regime; their internment was discriminatory and unfounded.
If the internment of men was unfair, imagine what their loved ones went through. The stories we heard from families were horrifying. Women, who were often living in poverty, were suddenly left alone with several children, no income and no government assistance. Children died of malnutrition, to the complete indifference of authorities. Some women even had to take on three jobs to put food on the table for their children. Families went months without news of their loved ones in internment camps.
All of these stories show just how the Government of Canada's policies left lasting scars on an entire community. We cannot remain indifferent to the discrimination experienced by Italian Canadians.
Today, the government is apologizing to this community, after more than 80 years. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois I want to express our appreciation for the significant contribution that Quebec's Italian community has made to Quebec society. Speaking out against their unfair treatment by the government is an essential step to recognizing their contribution to our society.