---
title: "Internment Camps | History of Canada"
description: "Internment camps in Canada were detention sites for civilians, especially during WWI and WWII, revealing wartime racism, fear, and lost civil liberties."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/internment-camps"
type: "key-term"
subject: "History of Canada – 1867 to Present"
unit: "Unit 5"
---

# Internment Camps | History of Canada

## Definition

Internment camps were detention facilities where Canada held civilians during wartime, often targeting people seen as "enemy aliens." In History of Canada from 1867 to Present, they show how war expanded state power and stripped rights from marginalized groups.

## What It Is

Internment camps in Canadian history were places where the federal government detained civilians during wartime or national emergency, usually without the same legal protections people expect in peacetime. In this course, the term usually points to two major moments: World War I internment of about 8,000 people, many of them Ukrainian Canadians and other Eastern European immigrants, and World War II internment and forced removal of over 22,000 Japanese Canadians.

The camps were tied to fear. During war, governments often treated people with ties to an enemy nation, or people who simply looked suspicious to the public, as threats to security. In Canada, that fear mixed with racism and prejudice, so internment was not just a military precaution. It was also a social and political decision shaped by ideas about who counted as fully Canadian.

The camps themselves were harsh. People were removed from homes, businesses, and communities, then sent to sites across places like British Columbia and Alberta. Conditions often meant poor shelter, little privacy, and limited access to basic necessities. Families lost income, children lost schooling, and adults lost control over their property and daily lives.

A big reason this term matters in Canadian history is that it shows how broad government powers can override civil liberties during wartime. The War Measures Act gave Ottawa wide authority, and internment became one of the most visible results of that power. That makes internment camps more than just a war topic. They are evidence of how policy, panic, and prejudice can come together.

Later recognition matters too. Canada eventually apologized and offered reparations for the injustices suffered by Japanese Canadians during World War II. That later response turns internment into a long-term historical issue, not just a wartime event. It connects the wartime home front to later debates about rights, memory, and government accountability.

## Why It Matters

Internment camps matter because they show what happens when national security fears override rights in wartime Canada. If you are studying the home front, this term connects directly to government power, discrimination, and the limits of wartime unity.

It also helps you see that the war effort did not affect all Canadians equally. Some groups were praised for sacrifice, while others were treated as suspects because of ethnicity or ancestry. That contrast is useful for essays on social change, racism, and the tension between Canadian nationalism and exclusion.

The term also links to later historical memory. Canada’s apologies and reparations for Japanese Canadian internment show how the country has revisited past injustice. In other words, internment camps are not only about detention. They are about how Canada remembers wartime decisions and whether the state is willing to admit wrongdoing.

## Connections

### [War Measures Act](/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/war-measures-act)

The War Measures Act gave the federal government the legal power to act quickly in wartime, and internment camps were one of the strongest examples of that power in action. When you connect the two, you can explain how legal emergency powers can expand far beyond the battlefield and affect civilians at home.

### Discrimination

Internment camps were shaped by discrimination, not just by military fear. In both world wars, officials and the public often treated people from targeted ethnic groups as dangerous because of who they were, not what they had done. That makes internment a clear case study in how prejudice can become public policy.

### [enemy aliens](/history-canada-after-1867/key-terms/enemy-aliens)

This label was used for people considered loyal to a hostile country, and it was often applied too broadly. In Canada, it helped justify surveillance, restrictions, and internment of civilians who may have had little or no connection to the enemy state. The term shows how language can make exclusion sound normal.

### Japanese Canadians

Japanese Canadians were the largest group forcibly removed and interned during World War II in Canada. Their experience is the clearest example of how internment affected entire communities, not just individuals. Studying this group helps you trace displacement, property loss, and the long process that led to official apology and reparations.

## On the AP Exam

A quiz question or short-answer prompt may ask you to identify internment camps as part of the wartime home front and explain why they happened. Your job is to connect the camps to fear, racism, and expanded federal authority, not just to say people were detained.

In an essay, you might use internment camps as evidence when discussing how World War I or World War II changed life in Canada. A strong response names the affected communities, describes the harsh conditions or forced removal, and explains what the policy reveals about civil liberties during war. If a source or image appears, look for clues like barbed wire, guard posts, isolated camp settings, or references to relocation and property loss.

## Key Takeaways

- Internment camps in Canada were wartime detention sites for civilians, not prisoner-of-war camps for captured soldiers.
- During World War I, about 8,000 people were interned in Canada, including many Ukrainian Canadians and other Eastern European immigrants.
- During World War II, over 22,000 Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to camps in places like British Columbia and Alberta.
- The camps show how wartime fear, racism, and emergency powers could strip away civil liberties.
- Canada later recognized the injustice of internment during World War II, which makes the topic part of the story of historical apology and accountability.

## FAQs

### What are internment camps in History of Canada?

They were camps where the Canadian government held civilians during wartime, often because those people were seen as "enemy aliens" or security risks. In Canadian history, internment is most closely tied to World War I and World War II. The term usually comes up when studying civil liberties, discrimination, and the home front.

### Who was interned in Canada during World War I and World War II?

During World War I, about 8,000 people were interned, including many Ukrainian Canadians and other Eastern European immigrants. During World War II, over 22,000 Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to internment camps. These groups were targeted because of ancestry and public fear, not because they were all proven threats.

### How were internment camps connected to the War Measures Act?

The War Measures Act gave the federal government broad emergency powers during wartime, and internment was one way those powers were used. This connection matters because it shows how legal authority can expand quickly in a crisis. For a history question, that is often the real point, not just the camp locations themselves.

### Were internment camps the same as prisoner-of-war camps?

No. Prisoner-of-war camps held captured enemy soldiers, while internment camps in Canada held civilians. That difference matters because internment involved people who were often removed based on ethnicity, ancestry, or suspicion rather than combat service. It is one reason the policy is remembered as a civil-liberties issue.

## Related Study Guides

- [5.2 The Home Front: Social and Economic Impact](/history-canada-after-1867/unit-5/home-front-social-economic-impact/study-guide/fLXFOLqvoHqvigso)

## About This Document

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