On February 20, 1946, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld three Orders in Council authorizing the mass exile of Japanese Canadians in the Re Persons of the Japanese Race decision. This year marks the 75th anniversary of that judgment and of the subsequent decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to uphold the SCC decision on appeal. Dr. Jordan Stanger-Ross (Professor of History, University of Victoria) will cover the historical background and policy origins while Dr. Eric M. Adams will speak about the decision itself. Drs. Adams and Stanger-Ross are working together on a book on the Japanese Canadian exile based on the research of the Landscapes of Injustice collective.

SCC decision:

Re Persons of Japanese Race, [1946] S.C.R. 248

https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/8297/index.do

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council decision:

The Co-operative Committee on Japanese Canadians and another v The Attorney-General of Canada and another, [1947] A.C. 87

http://uniset.ca/other/ths/cooperative.html and

https://www.casemine.com/judgement/uk/5b4dc2512c94e07cccd23e06

Judge Maryka Omatsu will offer introductory remarks for the two speakers.

Maryka Omatsu became the first woman of East Asian descent to be appointed a judge in Canada 27 years ago. In the 1980s, Judge Omatsu acted as a legal counsel for the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) and was a member of their Strategy and Negotiation Team that won Redress for her community.  Today, she is a member of the NAJC’s team seeking Redress from the Province of B.C.

Detailed biography of Judge Maryka Omatsu: https://www.ryerson.ca/responding-to-hate/project-team/judge-maryka-omatsu/#:~:text=Maryka%20Omatsu%20is%20the%20first,for%2016%20years%20in%20Toronto

Speakers:

Eric M. Adams

Eric M. Adams is Vice Dean and Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law. The recipient of several awards for his research and teaching, Eric publishes widely in the fields of constitutional law, legal history, legal education, employment law, and human rights. He provides occasional legal advice on constitutional matters and frequent media commentary on a variety of legal topics.   

Detailed biography of Dr. Adams: https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/eadams

Jordan Stanger-Ross

Jordan Stanger-Ross is a Provost’s Engaged Scholar in history at the University of Victoria and Project Director of Landscapes of Injustice. He has published widely on the history of Japanese Canadians in the 1940s, including Landscapes of Injustice: A New Perspective on the Internment and Dispossession of Japanese Canadians.

Detailed biography of
Dr. Stanger-Ross:  https://www.uvic.ca/humanities/history/people/faculty/stanger-rossjordan.php

Sponsors:

This event is proudly supported by Carfra Lawton LLP and Crease Harman LLP. We thank you for your support!

We also recognize McCarthy Tétrault LLP as FACL BC’s Preferred Partner in Diversity.