Not all Canadians were equal at First World War recruiting stations – Times Colonist
VANCOUVER – Refurbishments are underway on a First World War cenotaph in Vancouver’s Stanley Park honouring Japanese-Canadian soldiers — a memorial that stands as both a testament to their patriotism and a reminder of Canada’s prejudiced past.
Many of those remembered by the monument were denied the right to enlist in British Columbia at the start of the war and had to travel to Alberta to enlist.
Dozens died while fighting in Europe, and shortly after the war ended, the limestone cenotaph was erected, etched with the names of the men who fought.
Prof. Tim Cook, a historian at the Canadian War Museum and an adjunct research professor at Carleton University, said Canadians of African and Asian ancestry, as well as First Nations, all faced discrimination.
