Ottawa acknowledges wartime impact on Italian Canadians

Prime Minister Paul Martin has announced his government will spend $2.5 million to tell the story of Italian Canadians affected by Ottawa's wartime measures.

About 650 Italian Canadians were labelled "enemy aliens" and imprisoned at Camp Petawawa in Ontario during the Second World War.

The money, set aside in last February's budget, will go toward "the acknowledgement, commemoration and education of Canadians about the experiences of Italian Canadians," the government said in a news release.

A published report earlier said the fund was intended for "commemorative exhibits, signs and other historical material."

The redress package does not offer an official apology or financial compensation.

While former prime minister Brian Mulroney apologized to Italian Canadians in a speech in Toronto in 1990, there has never been a formal apology in the House of Commons on behalf of the government.

The $2.5 million in funding was outlined in what Heritage Canada referred to as an agreement-in-principle, signed at a ceremony in Montreal.

Representatives of several Italian Canadian groups were at the signing, including the National Congress of Italian Canadians; the National Federation of Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association; and the Order Sons of Italy of Canada.