News Release – The Government of Canada announces project in Ottawa to commemorate Second World War internment of Italian–Canadians

Ottawa, June 2^nd, 2011 — Member of Parliament for Vaughan, and Associate Minister of Defence, Julian Fantino, on behalf of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, today announced $250,000 in funding to commemorate the experiences of people in the Italian-Canadian community who were interned in Canada during the Second World War.

CIC is providing funding under the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP) to the National Congress of Italian Canadians — Ottawa district to create an archival/exhibit room named the Italian Canadian Historical Centre: A Centre for Learning at the Villa Marconi. The Centre, located in Ottawa, will house material and artefacts about the internment experiences and Italian migration to Canada. Villa Marconi is a long-term, modern care facility providing care for senior residents in a multi-cultural setting.

When war broke out in Europe in September 1939, Canada was governed by wartime emergency measures that had a significant impact on the lives of many Italian-Canadians.

“These actions by the Canadian government of the time were deeply offensive to the simple notion of respect for human dignity and the presumption of innocence,” said Minister Fantino. “The Government of Canada recognizes this and has acted to acknowledge and commemorate the historical experiences of the Italian-Canadian community during the Second World War.”

The CHRP funds community-based commemorative and educational projects that recognize the experiences of ethno-cultural communities affected by historical wartime measures and/or immigration restrictions applied in Canada’s past. For more information about CHRP visit: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/multiculturalism/index.asp.

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For further information (media only), please contact:

Celyeste Power
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca