A part of history that begs to be told
Dear Editor
I read, with interest, the review by Keith Foster of the book Laying The Children’s Ghosts to Rest by author Sean Arthur Joyce.
This unjust part of Canadian history is not often in the public mind or even known to many Canadians.
More than 100,000 children were scooped from the streets of Britain or given away by destitute families on the promise of a better life in Canada.
Unlike First Nation children, who were scooped to attend residential schools, many of these children were never sent to school.
Unlike the slaves in Africa, who were sold by their handlers, these children were indentured to the people who requested a girl or boy of a certain age to work, mostly on isolated farms. Some had never been out of a city. They were alone at the mercy of those who chose them, unable to have contact with their families.
At age 17 they were given a small stipend and “freed.” They quietly left those homes and made their way into all parts of Canada and became part of the fabric that built this country.
A book titled The Little Immigrants by Kenneth Bagnell, published by MacMillan of Canada in 1980, reveals some of the politics involved in removing these children from Britain and the people who wanted cheap labour to settle Canada.
This part of our history begs to be told.
Rose Benson
North Battleford
