An Ambiguous Relationship: Anglicans and the Japanese in British Columbia, 1902-1949

Abstract

As in several other Christian churches, the Anglicans, both clerical and lay,  in Canada had an ambivalent approach to dealing with the Japanese.  Some, especially those who worked with the Japanese either in Japan or in British Columbia called for justice and fair play for the Japanese.  In contrast, other Anglicans wanted to ban further immigration from Japan.  A few, notably Alderman Halford Wilson of Vancouver, were among the most vociferous advocates for the removal of the Japanese from the coast in 1942.  This paper describes these conflicts and endeavours to explain them and their effects before, during, and after the Second World War.