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House Hansard - 104

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 28, 2022 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 104 - Sep/28/22
Mr. Mark Strahl (Chilliwack—Hope, CPC)
  • Sep/28/22 2:17:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from 1896 to 1948 the British Home Child program saw over 100,000 boys and girls shipped from the United Kingdom to Canada to serve mainly as cheap labour for the families they were placed with here. While some of these children were treated well, many others were seen as no more than indentured servants and suffered horrible abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to care for them. In spite of this, many British home children would go on to serve Canada with distinction in the Canadian Forces throughout the 20th century. It is estimated that four million Canadians are descendants of British home children, including me. My great-grandfather, Sheriff Atcheson Thompson, came to this country as a British home child in 1915, at the young age of 12. I would like to thank people like my grandma, Carol Bateman, who continue to keep the stories of British home children alive and who continue to call upon the government to apologize for the program these children suffered under. Today, on British Home Child Day, let us pause to remember them and their legacy to our country.
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