(Toronto, ON) May 26, 2021 – On the occasion of the historic apology by the Prime Minister of Canada to the Italian Canadian community for the internment and incarceration without trial or charges of hundreds of its own citizens during the Second World War, and the mistreatment and discrimination that followed, TLN Media Group’s just completed special documentary will be aired without commercial interruption this coming weekend:
• Internment: The Untold Stories will premiere on TLN TV this Friday, May 28 at 8P/et and have an encore broadcast on Sunday, May 30 at 8P/et.
• Il Confino: Una Storia Mai Conclusa, will premiere on Canada’s #1 all-Italian channel Mediaset Italia on Saturday, May 29 at 8:30P/et.
This moving story exposes the heartbreak and humiliation associated with a little-known chapter in Canadian history that has left a deep scar on the Italian Canadian community. The documentary was produced in collaboration with Jaime Escallon Buraglia of Lulo Films. Majority financing was provided by TLN Media Group with additional support from Canada Media Fund.
On June 10, 1940, Canadian Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King declared Canada was at war with Italy. Almost immediately, 31,000 Italian Canadians were officially designated enemy aliens. Of these, about 600 were taken from their homes and separated from their families. They were held in prisons and remote camps, most notably in Petawawa, Ontario.
For many, these memories have been hidden for reasons of shame, fear, humiliation and embarrassment. As this generation is passing on, the stories are now coming to light as family members recount the experiences of their fathers and grandfathers for the very first time. After 81 years of discrimination, humiliation and suffering in silence, the healing can now begin.
As Canada’s most influential multicultural media company and the leading media source for Italian Canadians for nearly four decades, TLN Media Group takes great pride in producing culturally significant Made In Canada programs that keep the important conversations going to ensure that the lessons learned are never forgotten.