June 10 marks a key sombre date for Canadians of Italian origin. On this very day in 1940, as the Second World War was taking a turn for the worst, Canada declared war on Italy and declared Italians and Italian-Canadians living in Canada as “enemy aliens.”
Under the War Measures Act, over 600 Italians across Canada were sent to internments camps. Some remained there for years, without ever being charged with a crime or brought to trial. Thousands more Italians and Italian-Canadians were required to report to authorities on a regular basis.
On September 18, 2018, the RCMP issued a Statement of Regret to the families of the internees for their involvement with the internment. The statement was officially delivered by RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki during a tree planting ceremony at its Ottawa headquarters. Family members of Italian internees were in attendance, holding up photos of their loved ones.
Speaking at the ceremony was oral historian Joyce Pillarella. Her grandfather, Nicola Germano, was one of the 600 men interned. She has spent over fifteen years interviewing internees and their family members to get a better sense of the collective experience.
Pillarella’s speech was both powerful and emotional. She spoke of the long silent pauses during those interviews and about how the families themselves had questions that were never answered.
“Some of you took the long trip to Petawawa to visit your father,” she said during her speech.
“During the thirty minutes allowed visit, dad would say, all is good I am fine. Mother would say, all is good and we are fine.”
Four years earlier, Pillarella was approached by RCMP Assistant Commissioner of Federal Policing James Malizia. His grandfather had also been interned. He and his mother also had questions. He would be the one to start the process of an official regret from the RCMP.
During his speech, Malizia acknowledged his grandfather, interned at Petawawa for three years.
“I joined the RCMP despite my grandfather’s experience. But his values were part of my decision to join,” he told the crowd.
The Canadian government has never offered an official apology to the internees. The RCMP has no authority to make an official apology.
In a Facebook post earlier today, Pillarella paid homage to the internees and thanked the RCMP for their admission.
“On September 18, 2018 the RCMP issued a Statement of Regret to the families for their involvement with the internment. It began to heal the shame and affirmed that we are not forgotten. Someone is listening,” Pillarella wrote.
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