Japanese Canadian Redress: The Toronto Story

• Toronto NAJC

Chapter 11
Celebrating and Reaching Out

By Addie and Bill Kobayashi

By April, 1986, the Redress issue was no longer just a topic for discussion among Japanese Canadians. We had become very effective in seeking support for our cause from outside our own community. Several mainstream journalists followed the course of our struggle and various ethnocultural groups proved that the government’s policy of multiculturalism was something that could bind people rather than separate and ghettoize them. We had come a long way in our movement, establishing a network of valuable contacts who provided assistance in various ways and heightened the profile of our community in the eyes of other Canadians. There was a lot to celebrate in those few years prior to the signing of the Redress Agreement.

Celebrating Freedom and Ethnic Diversity

By Bill Kobayashi

The first major event during this period was the “Celebration of Freedom Day” on April 1, 1986 at Toronto City Hall. This special evening, co-sponsored by the NAJC Toronto Chapter and the Ad Hoc Committee for Japanese Canadian Redress, commemorated April 1, 1949, the day when Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry attained the right to vote, a basic right that had been denied to us for far too long—a right that finally gave us the validation that we had longed for. Prior to April, 1949, the government and the majority of white Canadians made no distinction whatsoever between Japanese nationals, naturalized Japanese Canadians and native born Canadians of Japanese ancestry.

Being granted the franchise was indeed something worth celebrating because it removed the label of second class citizen from us—at least theoretically. Helping us celebrate this milestone in our history were representatives from various organizations across Toronto. Our speakers included Kay Shimizu and Hide Shimizu, Alderman Fred Beavis representing the City of Toronto, Maryka Omatsu who made the introductions and Cyril Powles, an East Asian Studies professor and an organizer of the Toronto Ad Hoc Committee for Japanese Canadians, a support group of academics and unionists. The keynote speaker for the evening was the Honourable Tom Berger who had spoken out in favour of Redress at a testimonial dinner for Grace MacInnis two months earlier.¹

Our “Celebration of Freedom Day” also included some wonderful entertainment provided by singer/writer Terry Watada and Wasabi Daiko, the Toronto based taiko drum group. After that evening at City Hall, many of the organizers came away with renewed energy and hope. We were certainly not alone in our struggle. Our networking efforts were paying off.

Another major ethnocultural celebration, the “Ethnocultural Rally”, took place about a year and a half after the “Freedom Day Celebration”, giving our cause a much needed shot of adrenalin. By 1987, we had reached a bit of an impasse in our Redress struggle as David Crombie, the minister of multiculturalism, had emphatically stated, “That’s it. No more negotiation. Twelve million dollars—take it or leave it.” Four years after Mulroney’s promise of Redress, we were still unable to reach a settlement with the three successive ministers of multiculturalism. Given Crombie’s ultimatum, we realized that it was time to consolidate the support of as many other ethnocultural groups as possible. We had to demonstrate to the federal government that we were not an isolated little group whose votes were meaningless. It was imperative to present a united front with the support of a wide range of ethnocultural groups and other organizations.

Adding to the urgency of the situation was the fact that the U.S. House of Representatives had recently offered a full apology as well as $20,000 tax free to each of the 60,000 surviving Japanese Americans who were imprisoned for three years during World War II, a total compensation package of 1.2 billion dollars. In light of this proposal south of the border, Ernest Best, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Japanese Canadian Redress, stated, “This leaves no alternative but to appeal the issue to public opinion. We seek the direct intervention of the Prime Minister and cabinet in arriving at a just and honourable settlement of this important and uniquely Canadian human rights issue by negotiating in good faith with the National Association of Japanese Canadians.”

Fully aware of the need to get the Redress cause into the public spotlight, the Ad Hoc Committee for Japanese Canadian Redress got busy organizing an ethnocultural rally. Hundreds of flyers were mailed out and, as usual, Matt Matsui was responsible for making the banners for the hall. Many of our NAJC members put in countless hours on publicity and fundraising for the even—people such as: Charlotte Chiba, Ko Ebisuzaki, Doug Fujimoto, Van Hori, Jim Kobayashi, Naomi Lacroix, Dennis Madokoro, Yo Mori, Hide Shimizu and Shirley Yamada. During the hectic month before the rally, Roger Obata could often be found on the telephone spreading the word and making detailed arrangements. First he contacted George Corn, president of the 35member Canadian Ethnocultural Council, to get approval of a resolution to be presented at the rally. Obata also contacted individual leaders of ethnocultural communities to ensure their commitment and physical presence. “I was just amazed,” commented Obata later. “You know, you didn’t have to put any pressure on them at all. They realized that if we lost, they would suffer too.”

Eventually, about 20 ethnocultural organizations, primarily based in Toronto, sent a representative or two to the rally on October 29, 1987 at Harbord Collegiate, a venue familiar to us from past meetings. The organizations represented included:

• Canadian Arab Federation
• Canadian Hispanic Congress
• Canadian Jewish Congress
• Canadian Lithuanian Community
• Canadian Polish Congress
• Chinese Canadian National Council
• Council of Muslim Committees of Canada
• Czechoslovak Association of Canada
• Estonian Central Council
• First Portuguese-Canadian Citizens Council
• German Canadian Congress
• Hellenic Canadian Congress
• International Sikh Organization
• The Korean Canadian Cultural Association of Metropolitan Toronto
• Latvian National Federation in Canada
• National Congress of Italian Canadians
• National Council of Jamaicans
• Pakistani-Canadians Community Centre (Toronto) Inc.
• United Council of Filipino Associations in Canada

Politically, these organizations represented a broad range, but they were united behind us because they knew that what happened to Japanese Canadians could easily happen to any ethnic minority group in Canada. They realized that they too could become the victims of racist hysteria one day. As Jamal Kafieh from the Canadian Arab Federation said, “The Arabs and particularly the Palestinian community has a clear sense of what it is to be disposed of in your own homeland… We have a natural sympathy for [the Japanese Canadians].”² And Michael Czuma, representing the Polish Canadian Congress,stated, “The day has passed when Japanese Canadians will fall alone.”³

After eloquent speeches by people such as Roy Miki and Cyril Powles (a friend of the JC community since the 1940s), a resolution was signed by each of the ethnocultural group leaders. This resolution stated in part:

WHEREFORE, WE, THE UNDERSIGNED NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING CANADIANS OF DIVERSE ETHNOCULTURAL HERITAGE, HEREBY CALL UPON THE PRIME MINISTER TO INTERVENE PERSONALLY TO RESOLVE THIS BASIC HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE.

WE ASK THE PRIME MINISTER TO CAUSE NEGOTIATIONS TO BE OPENED WITH THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JAPANESE CANADIANS TOWARDS A JUST AND HONOURABLE SETTLEMENT OF THESE GRIEVANCES, AND

WE ASK, FURTHER, THAT THESE NEGOTIATIONS BE CARRIED OUT IN RELATION TO A FORMAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM PARLIAMENT; INDIVIDUAL RESTITUTION TO SURVIVORS; AND LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS TO ENSURE THAT AN ABROGATION OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS BASED ON RACIST PERCEPTIONS CANNOT AGAIN BE PERPETRATED AGAINST ANY CANADIAN ETHNOCULTURAL GROUP.

WE URGE THE PRIME MINISTER TO ACT SWIFTLY TO HEAL THIS WOUND ON OUR NATIONAL PSYCHE AND, THEREBY, TO REINFORCE FOR ALL CANADIANS THEIR FAITH IN THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY.

Although the rally itself was not as well attended as we had hoped, it accomplished its main objective of presenting an image of solidarity with other minority group Canadians. As one of the organizers noted in retrospect, “[The rally] was a little boring for us, but when Mulroney saw this resolution, he really sat up and took notice because it represents a lot of people.⁴ So the purpose of the rally was to try to get the support of this large block of [ethnic] votes because we knew Mulroney was going to be up for election in ’88 and this was in late ’87 so we were sort of looking ahead. And that’s how we planned it.”

The Ethnocultural Rally at Harbord Collegiate was a tremendous boost for the legitimacy of the NAJC as the representative voice for the majority of Japanese Canadians. Less than a year after the rally, on September 22, 1988, Mulroney addressed all of the issues as articulated in the resolution from the rally. Therefore, we owe a lot to all the ethnocultural communities who supported us during a critical period in our negotiations with the government. As Roy Miki said at the end of his speech, “I hope the Japanese Canadian community will itself extend support outside the community. When faced by injustices, only through a shared sense of solidarity as a community and as individuals can we turn attitudes and perceptions around. Let us work for the past to build a stronger and more humane country.”

NAJC (NJCCA) 40th Anniversary Celebration

By Addie Kobayashi

A few weeks after the Ethnocultural Rally, another event was held thatht went even further in strengthening and uniting our community: the 40^th anniversary celebration of the NAJC, known as the NJCCA until 1980, at the Skyline Triumph Hotel in Toronto.

During the mid-1950s and 1960s, while Japanese Canadians were busy rebuilding their lives in a more tolerant society and the National Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association (NJCCA) faded into the quiet years. However, in 1976, the NJCCA, with its national network still intact, became the vehicle in reuniting Japanese Canadian communities across the country for the Japanese Canadian Centennial celebration of 1977. The success of this reunification and the JC Centennial awakened new interest in the NJCCA and in 1980, the NJCCA changed its name to the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) in an effort to update its image and direction. It became a federation to attract cultural, educational and other groups. By the mid-1980s, the NJCCA—now the NAJC—began its pursuit of Redress in earnest.

It was Labour Day weekend 1947, when leaders representing Japanese communities in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec met in Toronto to form Canada’s first national body of Japanese Canadians: the National Japanese Canadian Citizens’ Association (NJCCA). In the years that followed, the original mandate had changed little and continued to be dedicated to the pursuit of justice, social, economic and political equality for Japanese Canadians.

Forty years later, on the evening of November 14, 1987, Japanese Canadians from across Canada returned to Toronto, where the organization had been launched. The lights dimmed and conversations ceased as 300 diners rose to applaud eight presidents as they made their way to the head table.

Those honoured were: special guest Harry Naganobu of Oakville, Ontario (president of the Japanese Canadian Citizens League, 19361941), Roger Obata of Toronto (NJCCA president 1947-1948), Thomas Shoyama of Victoria (1948-1949), Harold Hirose of Winnipeg (19491951 and 1955-1957), Ted Aoki of Edmonton (1951-1953), Hiroshi (Rosie) Okuda of Montreal (1953-1955), Edward Ide of Toronto (19571976), Gordon Kadota of Vancouver (NAJC president, 1980-1984) and Art Miki, then the current NAJC president. George Imai of Toronto, president from 1976 to 1980, did not attend. Despite his absence, he too was honoured for his contribution to our community over the years.

Bill Kobayashi, president of the NAJC Toronto Chapter, provided the opening remarks, noting that the combined tenures of the presidents from across Canada spanned 40 years. He then introduced Hide Shimizu, an honoured guest and recipient of the Order of Canada for her education work among Japanese Canadians. Following dinner, Roger Obata, founding president of the NJCCA and vice-president of the NAJC, introduced guest speaker, Mike Masaoka and his wife Etsu of Washington D.C. In his introduction, Obata spoke of Masaoka as an outstanding leader and spokesman for Japanese Americans, praising him for his achievements in civil rights issues, his World War II record as a soldier in the American Armed Forces and his successful career as a consultant in international commerce and finance.

The audience listened intently as Masaoka related the wartime suffering of Japanese Americans and gave a movingndaccount of his experiences with the famous Japanese American 442^th Regimental Combat Team the most decorated unit in American military history for its comparative size and length of service. He also related the story of the rescue of the “lost” Texas Battalion and touched on the progress of the redress/restitution bill in the United States. Ed Ide thanked Masaoka for his enlightening speech, noting that 40 years had passed since they had last met at the Labour Day conference in Toronto in 1947.

The next item on our program, an audio-visual presentation, provided the audience with an overview of Japanese Canadian history and the sequence of events that led to the need for a national organization. It celebrated a legacy that began in 1877 with the arrival of Manzo Nagano. It celebrated 40 years of service to the community by the NJCCA and NAJC and paid tribute to the presidents whose hard work and devotion ensured that Japanese Canadians would have a voice and a place in Canadian society.

In recognition of outstanding work and service to the Japanese Canadian community, each president received a commemorative plaque from NAJC president, Art Miki, while Shirley Yamada read a biographical sketch. Each president responded in turn with words of appreciation and best wishes to the NAJC.

The presentation of the plaques was followed by a poignant audiovisual tribute to the late George Tanaka, the first full-time, paid, national executive secretary of the NJCCA, who had put aside his own plans to study landscape architecture in order to devote seven years of his life to the NJCCA, beginning in 1947. He became a key player in the major challenges that had to be overcome in the battle for civil liberties for Japanese Canadians. Accepting the special plaque in George’s memory was his brother, Kinzie Tanaka, who was also quite active in those formative stages of the organization.

In his closing remarks, Bill Kobayashi stated that the 40^th Anniversary Celebration Dinner would remain a memorable event in the minds of those present and would give the community the inspiration to continue to meet the challenges in various areas: social services, race relations, human rights, culture and education. He closed by saying, “We are committed to continue our work to improve the quality of life for our community and all Canadians.”

The evening also included a book signing by Mike Masaoka of his autobiography, They Call me Moses Masaoka, as well as entertainment by pianist Roy Miya, followed by dancing.

We had reached a decisive point in our struggle for Redress. The 40^th Anniversary Celebration Dinner heightened our resolve to pursue Redress with renewed vigour and determination. Less than one year later, on September 22, 1988, the Redress Agreement was finally reached.

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Japanese Canadian Redress: The Toronto Story

CANADIAN CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION DATA Main entry under title: Japanese Canadian Redress: The Toronto Story

ISBN 0-9699502-3-3

Copyright © 2000 Greater Toronto Chapter, National Association of Japanese Canadians (Toronto NAJC)

The Copyright was given to the TO NAJC by the Ad Hoc Committee for Japanese Canadian Redress: The Toronto Story.

Editor: Momoye Sugiman
Layout Artist: Xenofon Sugiman-Marangos
Cover Design: Sandy Usami
Cover Photo: John Flanders
Website design: Doodletronics

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, without written permission, except in the case of brief passages in a review. This book was produced by the collective effort of the Ad Hoc Committee for Japanese Canadian Redress: The Toronto Story. The Committee greatly acknowledges the financial support of the Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation.