The main argument was that in a state of war, the country was obliged to protect the security of its citizens. But war gives Canadians no right to persecute people for their ethnic origin. What about the rights of the Japanese Canadians? Were they not citizens? Although they were citizens, the Japanese-Canadians were deported against their will with absolutely no say in the matter. They lost property, possessions, and even small businesses which the government sold to fund the deportation. In many cases families were separated, and the men were sent to work for the government for no pay at all. The conditions of the deportation were certainly not in favor of the Japanese-Canadians, since many families lost their whole life savings, all to fund a deportation that was bound to leave a contemptuous scar on the face of their lives.
Within nine months, over 22 000 Japanese Canadians were taken from their homes and deported far away to a place which could never be called a home. Eight camps were set up in interior British Columbia. The living conditions of the camps were despicable. Although these people had committed no crime, they were being punished. And the only defense was that any one of the race could be a spy. The Japanese-Canadians lost all personal rights, were supplied with unusual clothing and humiliated. They lived in small huts behind barbed wire fences and forced to work. Many families were forced to live in cramped quarters. There could be up to ten other families sharing one source of heat. Many Japanese were even placed in tents until there was enough room to accommodate them. During the cold winters, though, a tent would have been just as warm as a house. All houses did not include a stove, and the walls were made of panel board with no insulation. In the years that ensued, the Japanese finally began to fight for rights. They petitioned the Royal Commission for better housing and proper heating.