The Industrial Revolution buffeting the United Kingdom’s economy during the second half of the nineteenth century created a migration of workers from the countryside to city-life – especially to the capital – and caused an overflow of children to be born to people who were unable to support them.
Thousands of these children ended up living as beggars on London’s streets in misery and filth. The authorities, faced with the problem this created, decided to resolve it by ‘exporting’ them to the colonies, arguing that this would solve two problems at the same time: reduce the beggar population of the motherland and ease the pressing need for workers (especially farm-workers) in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
(Library and Archives Canada, C-086484)
Between the 1860s and the 1930s over 100,000 children, called “Home Children”, were sent to Canada as part of organized child migration schemes under the belief that they would have better lives. However, many ended up in situations of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Home Children were often placed with farming families as labourers or domestic servants, facing stigma and loss of family identity, they were overworked, underfed, poorly educated and abused.
There was no government supervision!
I am ashamed to have to admit that, in spite of having lived in Canada for the last seventy years, I had never heard about Home Children in Canada until a couple of weeks ago when, during dinner at my daughter’s, I met Winona Williams, a respected Educator, and author of the book In Search of my Father in which she describes the difficulties she encountered during her search for the identity of her ancestors.
Group of immigrant girls, Quebec, 1908
(courtesy Library and Archives Canada / PA-20906)
Apparently, the key organizations involved in the child migration schemes were not particularly careful about how accurate or complete their records were. Many records were sealed or lost.
This meant that countless Home Children were never able to trace their family roots.
The British and Australian governments apologized for the shortcomings of the child migration schemes, the Canadian government officially recognized them, but has never issued a full apology at the federal level – unlike the UK and Australian governments.
YouTube Apologies of Prime Ministers
That virtually all of the Home Children sent to Canada, alone and separated from others as they were, have reacted to their fate the same way, withdrawing into themselves, and remaining silent about their past – “building a wall around themselves”, as one Home Girl put it – is bitter and conclusive proof of the severity of their trauma. It is also sad evidence that the Child Migration Scheme, however well-intentioned, was seriously flawed. The Home Children’s silent shame is Canada’s and Britain’s too!
Dave Lorente of Home Children Canada, 2000
Today, the descendants of the British ‘Home Children’ represent about TEN PERCENT of Canada’s population.
À valuable history lesson. Thank you Mr. Landori.
Very interesting. I didn’t realize that Winona had herself been a home child. I think she’s an extraordinary and very brave woman — even more admirable under the circumstances than I thought!
A forgotten part in the history of Canada. You have brought a new light on this history that so few people know about!
Thank you for shedding light on this shameful history.