Benito Mussolini gave a speech on June 10, 1940 in which he stated that a formal declaration of war had been sent to the governments of England and France. Mackenzie King, Canadian Prime Minister at the time, instituted the War Measures Act, and ordered the RCMP to arrest persons of Italian nationality or origin who might be capable of committing sabotage and other acts that could harm the welfare of Canada.
Within an hour of Mussolini’s message being broadcast, Italian Canadians became enemies of the state.
Officially designated as Enemy Aliens, between 600-700 men and women were taken from their homes and separated from their families. Many of these people found themselves in this situation without knowing the reason. They were brought down to the local jails to await transfer to internment camps.
While none of these men and women were ever charged in a court of law, they were considered a threat to the national security.
Some were released after a few months, while others stayed in various camps for up to 4 years.
Along with mass arrests and interments, many other Italians faced loss of work, vandalism, verbal abuse and violence.
Many of the women left behind with children had a hard time. Their bank accounts were frozen, furniture was taken away, some of them were kicked out of their homes, but they still tried their best to make ends meet.
There were mixed reactions in the community. Some Italian Canadians avoided friends who had interned family members, while others provided moral and financial support. Many of the families leaned on priests, lawyers and local members of Parliament to get their family members freed.