Canada shows no sign of apology to migrant children

By Tiffany Crawford, Canwest News ServiceNovember 16, 2009

OTTAWA — The Canadian government is showing no signs of an apology to the families of thousands of poor children who were shipped to Canada and Australia from Britain — children who were often abused and forced into labour. Between 1869 and 1948, more than 100,000 children — known in this country as the "home children" — were sent to Canada, while thousands more were sent to Australia and other former colonies of the British Empire, as part of the Child Migrants Program. On Monday, the Australian government issued a formal apology. The children, often taken without the knowledge of their parents under a government-sanctioned program, were promised a better life but many were abused or forced into labour against their wishes. Some children were told their parents were dead. The majority of the children were sent to Canada because it was cheaper than sending them to Australia.

When asked whether Canada would issue an apology, a statement issued from the office of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said only that a bill was before Parliament to designate 2010 as the Year of the British Home Child. "Minister Kenney is personally supportive of the motion," said Alykhan Velshi. "Canada Post also plans to issue commemorative stamps on the home child this year." Velshi said Kenney also plans to incorporate acknowledgment of the home child in citizenship ceremonies.

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The British Home Children Registry 56,000 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS

THE BRITISH CHILD EMIGRATION SCHEME TO CANADA (1870-1957)

100,000 British Home Children (alleged orphans) were sent to Canada by over 50 British Child Care organizations. These 4-15 year old children worked as indentured farm labourers and domestic servants until they were 18 years old. The British Child Care organizations professed a dominant motive of providing these children with a better life than they would have had in Britain, but they had other ignoble and pecuniary motives.

They rid themselves of an unwanted segment of their society and profited when they sold these children to Canadian farmers. Siblings in care in Britain were separated from their families and each other. Siblings were separated from each other when they were sent to Canada. Most never saw each other again. Many spent their lives trying to identify their parents and find their siblings and most were unsuccessful. An unknown number of children ran away from their indentured labour in Canada to the United States. Millions of Americans may be descended from British Home Children.