Category: President’s Message

On June 14th, all NAJC chapters were sent communication from the NAJC Membership Committee Chair, David Iwaasa, requesting that they forward to the National office copies of their 2010 and 2011 annual general meeting (AGM) minutes in compliance with the NAJC Membership Bylaws, 4.1.1.2. All chapters must be incorporated or registered either provincially or federally and are bound by specific annual reporting guidelines set out by respective governments. The collection of AGM minutes allows us, as a national organization, to ensure that chapter members are being given the opportunity to meet annually with their local executive to: receive reports of past activities; review financial statements; solicit volunteers; approve new programmes; raise concerns and issues unique to their locale. More importantly, an annual general meeting renews the mandate of the local executive thus giving it the legitimate authority to speak on behalf of the chapter membership for the coming year. We cannot be an organization that advocates for human rights and justice, if we do not practice good governance ourselves. August 31st is the deadline for the filing of the requested minutes and I will report back to you on this matter in the fall. If you have any concerns as a local member, please do not hesitate to contact your chapter executive, myself or David Iwaasa at: national@najc.ca 70th Anniversary of Internment (1942-2012)Continue reading

New Denver “Internment camps in BC’s wilderness are all I recall, And I’m too old to think about the past with bitterness in my heart. I fell in love with you in the camp so long ago, It kept us from the hatred and bigotry that existed outside. New Denver is washed away with the...Continue reading

Treasures from our History by Ken Noma In an effort to identify, preserve and document Japanese and Nikkei antiques, folk art of value to Japanese Canadians, the Heritage Committee of the NAJC and the Manitoba Japanese Cultural Centre will conduct a public art evaluation on Saturday, March 19th in Winnipeg. If time permits, a survey...Continue reading

On July 31, 2010, a very special ceremony was held in New Denver, commemorating the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, as a National Historic Site of Canada. Grace Thomson, Past President of the NAJC, who has been very active with the NIMC, represented the NAJC at the ceremony. It is with great respect and pride that...

The NAJC office has moved again, to a temporary office space  in downtown Winnipeg. This move was prompted by a change of ownership of our previous location of 1 – 222 Osborne St., which resulted in a significant increase of the rent and a long term lease. The next step will be to establish a...

The National Executive Board (NEB) of the NAJC met in Toronto on March 27-28, for its regular quarterly meeting. We wish to thank the individual members as well as the Toronto NAJC chapter for their presentations at our meeting.  It is through these exchanges that we learn more about the activities in the Japanese Canadian...Continue reading

Spring has arrived, bringing new hope and renewed energy to our lives. As a Japanese Canadian community, we have much to celebrate, not the least of which is the number of volunteers whose dedication and hard work bring so much life and spirit to our communities. Many thanks to all the volunteers across Canada. The...Continue reading

In late January, 2010, I attended the round table discussion in Winnipeg, hosted by the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR), inviting the public, to “help write the story of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights”. There were many familiar faces in the crowd–human rights activists, faith-based organizations, ethnic groups, special interest groups, etc. Everyone...Continue reading

The New Year has started with renewed hope and desire for a more peaceful world. It is mid January and all eyes are focused on the tragedy in Haiti. The devastation and violence that has erupted in that part of the world is unfathomable. Canadians, in their inimitable fashion have opened their hearts and wallets...Continue reading