1939-1952

Lesson 3: DISPOSSESSION

Landscapes of Injustice tells a story of the loss of home. It is about fear, racism, and measures taken in the name of security that made no one safer. It is also about the resilience of Japanese Canadians confronting injustice.

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Four Corners Activity

Do you trust your government? Would you expect the government to do the right thing? This activity asks students to consider those questions among others as a lead-in to a much deeper examination of the role of government in the forced sale of Japanese Canadian owned property.

SUGGESTED TIME: 20 MINUTES

Teaching Instructions

  1. Place signs around the room, with the words “Agree,” “Disagree,” and “Can’t Decide,” and “Don’t Know” in different areas of the room (leave enough room for students to stand near/under the signs. Read each of the questions below aloud and ask students to walk to the sign/response they most agree with. Discuss each question, asking students to share opinions about why they are leaning to that particular view. Encourage responses even if not well formed at this point.

    - I trust the government to always do what is right

    - Canada is a tolerant country

    - Physical possessions are not important at all

    - The law should always be obeyed without question.

  2. Transition the lesson by connecting the issues discussed here, including trust in government, tolerance of others, fairness in treatment before the law, and the importance of obeying laws to the uprooting, evacuation, internment and eventual dispossession of property faced by Japanese Canadians in the 1940s.