"Italian Canadian internment was the removal and internment of Italian Canadians during World War II following Italy's June 10, 1940 declaration of war against the United Kingdom.  Days later, Ernest Lapointe, Minister of Justice, signed the order labelling 31,000 Italian Canadians as "enemy aliens."...between 1940 and 1943, approximately 600 Italian Canadian men were arrested and sent to internment camps....some of the Italian Canadian men interned at Camp Petawawa had ties to Italian Fascist organizations, but had no political affiliation and were probably interned as a result of mistaken identity or because of false accusations."