Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the floor of the House of Commons on Thursday morning (May 27) to formally apologize to Italian-Canadians for their treatment during the Second World War.
香蕉视频直播淭o the men and women who were taken to prisoner-of-war camps or jail without charge 香蕉视频直播� people who are no longer with us to hear this apology 香蕉视频直播� to the tens of thousands of innocent Italian Canadians who were labelled 香蕉视频直播榚nemy alien,香蕉视频直播� to the children and grandchildren who have carried a past generation香蕉视频直播檚 shame and hurt and to their community 香蕉视频直播� We are sorry,香蕉视频直播� Trudeau said.
Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 apology comes 76 years after the end of the war, during which the Canadian government sent more than 600 Italian-Canadians to internment camps while another 31,000 were registered as 香蕉视频直播渆nemy aliens.香蕉视频直播�
You can watch the full apology, along with stories of Italian-Canadians who were interned during that time, .
香蕉视频直播 recently shared a story about a Summerland man who was sent to an internment camp during this time, leaving his farm to be cared for by his young children and wife.
READ MORE: Italian moved to Okanagan with hope; he ended up being sent to a WWII internment camp
On June 2 at 7 p.m., the Kelowna Canadian-Italian Club (KCIC) will be hosting a Zoom presentation to provide context and background for Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 formal apology to the Italian-Canadian community.
The virtual presentation will cover what happened leading up to June 10, 1940, when the government began interning Italian-Canadians. It also focuses on the impact of the apology on Kelowna香蕉视频直播檚 Italian community, including how they responded and the long-term effects.
In a statement to the Capital News, President Rosann Nanci of the KCIC thanked Trudeau for his apology. 香蕉视频直播淧ast wrongs are difficult to correct especially after so much time has passed. The original men who were detained have all passed away, leaving their families to cope with the remaining ramifications of these actions,香蕉视频直播� Nanci said.
香蕉视频直播淭his apology also brings to light the shame felt by the entire Italo-Canadese population which were felt not only by the people of the time, but for subsequent generations who had difficulty holding their heads high. So many instances of verbal abuse, acts of violence, stereotypes, caricatures, and downright ethnic racism were experienced by the general Italian Canadian population, that it is difficult for many to put into mere words the shame and anger they felt,香蕉视频直播� she added.
Nanci went on to say that Italian-Canadians are proud people and the apology begins the journey back to a place where they can be proud of their accomplishments and continue to offer contributions to Canada.
To RSVP to the presentation, click .
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