Tomekichi "Tomey" Homma (1865–1945) was a Canadian who was one of the first Japanese settlers of Steveston, which is now part of

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a coastal city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River. Encompassing the ad ...

. He fought for the right to vote for Japanese-Canadians in provincial elections.

Early life and work

Homma was born in Japan to a

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

-caste family. He emigrated 1883 and settled in Steveston and was naturalized as a British subject in 1896 (until 1947, Canadians were classified as British subjects). In Steveston, Homma was a labour organizer and founded the Japanese Fishermen’s Benevolent Society. Homma was also a key figure in the construction of the first Japanese school and a fishermen’s hospital in what is now Richmond; as well, he founded the first Japanese-language daily paper in Canada, the ''Canada Shinpo''.

Court case for voting rights

Homma also fought for Asian-Canadian

suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...

. Because he was denied the right to vote because of his ethnicity, Homma took the province of British Columbia to court. Homma was successful at the County Court and the

Supreme Court of British Columbia Supreme may refer to: Entertainment * Supreme (character), a comic book superhero * ''Supreme'' (film), a 2016 Telugu film * Supreme (producer), hip-hop record producer * "Supreme" (song), a 2000 song by Robbie Williams * The Supremes, Motown-e ...

, which held that he was entitled to vote. The government of British Columbia then appealed the case to the imperial

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

in Britain, which at that time was the highest court in the Canadian legal system. The federal government intervened in support of Homma, arguing that as a naturalised Canadian, federal law ensured he could vote in all elections, the same as native-born Canadians. In 1902, the Judicial Committee ruled against Homma, in its decision in ''

Cunningham v Homma ''Cunningham v Homma'', is a decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that upheld a British Columbia law that prohibited Japanese Canadians and Chinese Canadians from voting. The case originated with an attempt by Tomekichi Homm ...

''. The Judicial Committee determined that while the federal government was responsible for the naturalisation of citizens, the provinces had the right to legislate who could vote in provincial and municipal elections. Asian Canadians would not garner the right to vote until 1949, four years after Homma died.

Internment and death

Homma was one of the many Japanese-Canadians

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

during World War II. He died in a detention camp near

Slocan, British Columbia The Village of Slocan is in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. The former steamboat landing and ferry terminal is at the mouth of Springer Creek, at the foot of Slocan Lake. The locality, on British Columbia Highway 6, BC ...

Recognition

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

has designated Homma's court case as being of National Historical Significance. In recognition of his contribution to the democratic system, in December 2017 the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

, through Parks Canada, dedicated a plaque in his honour at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

. Tomekichi Homma Elementary School in Richmond is named in his honour.

Early life and work

Court case for voting rights

Internment and death

Recognition

References

Further reading