Canada's History and Ethics

Question 1

The 60s Scoop

Answer 1

Policies enacted by provincial child welfare authorities in the mid-1950s (1965-1980s). Thousands of Indigenous children taken from their home, put in foster homes, eventually adopted out to white families across Canada and the United States.

Question 2

Justice Edwin Kimelman

Answer 2

Wrote No Safe Place: Review Committee on Indian and Métis Adoptions and Placements. Reviewed file of every Native child adopted by out of province family. Stated that cultural genocide was taking place. Report marked the end of the Sixties Scoop era.

Question 3

The Sixties Scoop- Premises for Removal (2)

Answer 3

1) Women were pressured by doctors to give up their children shortly after birth. Were told this was a temporary arrangement, but children ended up being adopted.
2) Instead of getting support from the state, the children were taken away from loving families. Family living on traditional diet were accused of not taking care of their children. Siblings were separated and many Indigenous children were brought up in entirely white environments.

Question 4

The British Home Children

Answer 4

1860s-1948.
Over 100,000 children emigrated from United Kingdom to Canada to be used as indentured farm workers and domestics.
Only 12% were actually orphans. Rest came from families who had no choice but to surrender their children in order to keep them alive.
Sent to Canada by over 50 organizations.
Seven applicants for every child sent to this country.
Children migration scheme born during the Industrial Revolution
10% of Canadian population descendants

Question 5

The British Home Children (Organizations)

Answer 5

Barnardo’s
The Salvation Army
Quarrier’s

Question 6

Britain sent children where?

Answer 6

Canada
Rhodesia 
South Africa 
Australia 
New Zealand 
Continued till early 1970s.

Question 7

Which countries apologized for their role in the child migrant scheme?

Answer 7

• In 2009, the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologized
• In 2010, Prime Minister Gordon Brown offered their country’s apology.

Question 8

Which country is the only one not to have offered an apology for the child migrant scheme?

Answer 8

Canada has offered no apology- they claim there wasn’t enough interest in the British Home Children and it wasn’t on the political radar.

Question 9

Japanese Internment Camps

Answer 9

1942- Canadian government detained and dispossessed more than 90% of Japanese Canadians (21,000) in BC

• War Measures Act
• Interned for the rest of Second World War
• Homes and businesses sold by government

Question 10

Internment Camps

Answer 10

12,000 forced to live in internment camps. Men separated from their families and forced to do roadwork and other physical labour.

Question 11

Prisoner of war camps

Answer 11

700 Japanese Canadian men sent to the one in Ontario

Question 12

Sugar beet farms

Answer 12

4,000 Japanese Canadians sent to work in Alberta and Manitoba, to help fill labour shortages

Question 13

Canada’s apology for the wrongs against Japanese Canadians

Answer 13

In 1988, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney apologized. Made symbolic redress payments and repealed the War Measures Act.