Honourable senators, Canada is home to 1.6 million Canadians of Italian descent. For more than a century, thousands of Italians have chosen Canada as their new home. Italian Canadians have come from far and wide to contribute to Canada’s cultural landscape and economic vitality.

Unfortunately, the history of our community is also tainted by an event that occurred during the Second World War.

It was June 10, 1940, in response to the news that Italy was joining Germany’s war effort, when a resolution was adopted by the House of Commons and the Senate confirming our nation’s support to France and the United Kingdom. That very same day, in an address to the nation, prime minister Mackenzie King declared war on Italy and stated that:

The Minister of Justice has authorized the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to take steps to intern all residents of Italian origin whose activities have given ground for the belief or reasonable suspicion that they might in time of war endanger the safety of the state or engage in activities prejudicial to the prosecution of the war.

Suddenly, 31,000 Italian Canadians became enemies of the state. Around 600 men were taken from their homes and sent to internment camps without due process. They had not committed a crime, and yet their civil liberties were suspended, and they found themselves imprisoned.

The suffering was far-reaching. Italian Canadians became subject to hostilities, violence and baseless discrimination. Many entrepreneurs lost business and revenues; others lost work and the ability to provide for their families.

Tomorrow the Prime Minister will issue a formal apology for the internment of Italian Canadians. This is welcome news and I thank the government for recognizing the consequences — emotional, physical and financial — of this policy. The internment camps have had an intergenerational impact on many families and individuals. The apology will help in our collective and individual healing. For some, it may not provide full closure, but I hope it will serve as a reminder of how mistakes from our past can shape our present and influence our future. Let this be a lesson for future generations and a call to action to always do better, be just and always abstain from and call out any form of discrimination.

Honourable senators, despite the hardships and injustices, Canadians of Italian descent are a resilient people and I am proud to be a member of the community. I hope senators will join me on the eve of Italian Heritage Month in acknowledging the significance of this apology and in celebrating the countless contributions of Italian Canadians to our rich mosaic.

Grazie mille. Thank you.