An important piece of Japanese Canadian history is at risk of disappearing from BC.

The archive of The New Canadian newspaper, which published from 1938 to 2001 and shared stories of the Japanese Canadian experience, is currently available for online access through Simon Fraser University. But it’s set to be removed from online hosting this fall (along with over two dozen other papers by and for minority groups). A new petition aims to raise awareness about the issue and preserve The New Canadian archive access for BC residents.

The New Canadian began in BC as an English-language paper, and thus holds the unique distinction of being the only Japanese Canadian newspaper that was allowed dto be published in the province during the Second World War.

“It began as ‘The Voice of the Second Generation,’” the organizers of the petition explain, “and served as a forum for young Japanese Canadians to share ideas and formulate their Canadian identities at a time when those in power saw them as un-Canadian.”

The archive is currently owned by the Multicultural History Society of Ontario, meaning the files will still be able to be viewed in-person at the society’s York University headquarters; however, being removed from online platforms will make it extremely difficult for BC residents to access this important part of our province’s history.

Being unable to use this resource in BC also serves as a painful reminder that the reason why the paper initially moved out of province was due to the BC Government’s forced rehoming of Japanese Canadians post-war.