The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney

The first recipient of the Sakura Award was the Right Honourable Martin Brian Mulroney, the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada.

On September 22, 1988, in the House of Commons, Mr. Mulroney offered a formal and sincere apology to the Japanese Canadians for the forced evacuation and internment and offered a financial compensation of three hundred million dollars. Specifically, twenty one thousand dollar compensation for all surviving evacuees; a clearing of all criminal records related to violations of the War Measures Act; re-instatement of citizenship to the ‘repatriated Japanese; twelve million dollars to the community funds and twenty four million dollar contribution to the establishment of a Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre was a beneficiary of a portion of the community fund which led to the purchase of the new Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. It was the vision and hard work of the community, combined with the timely Redress settlement made possible by the Prime Minister which allows all Canadians to enjoy the magnificent JCCC facility.