A very thoughtful piece by Shellene Drakes-Tull as well as some background on the West Indian Domestic Workers Scheme.
This is one of the reasons the Canada-Caribbean Institute was formed…to encourage, recognize and celebrate the contributions of individuals to the development of Canada and the Caribbean.
By Shellene Drakes-Tull Contributing Columnist
Shellene Drakes-Tull is a Toronto-based storyteller, educator and the founder of Sweet Lime Communications.
I am the proud child of immigrants.
My mother came to Canada from Barbados in 1965 through the West Indian Domestic Scheme. For those who don’t know about this piece of Canadian history, the scheme was created in 1955 and targeted women from across the Caribbean to work as domestic help for white Canadian families. From its inception, until the scheme ended in 1967, 3,000 women came through the program.
The scheme, viewed through a modern lens, feels exploitative, but my mom and thousands of other women — including Jean Augustine, the first Black woman to sit in the House of Commons — filled a gap in the country’s economy. They were doing the washing, cooking, cleaning and nannying that many homegrown Canadians chose not to do.
Whenever I ask my mother why she decided to move here, she says, “I wanted a better life for my children.”
This is the story of many immigrant families from the Caribbean. They moved to Canada for a better education, safer neighbourhoods, more stable jobs and good health care. Many immigrants, regardless of their home country, came to Canada for these reasons and were encouraged to come here to fill the gaps in our economy.
If we are honest, many of the jobs that immigrants do — especially when they first arrive — aren’t the plum positions people are competing for.
A few years later, my father came to Canada and my parents moved to Montreal to get married. There, they faced the hardships of not speaking French, no one wanting to rent to them and trying to fit into an unfamiliar culture.
I’m sure Caribbean immigrants were told they were changing the country’s culture by bringing their odd customs, weird foods and vibrant celebrations to quiet Canadian communities. They probably made people uncomfortable with their presence everywhere from the parks and schools to restaurants and grocery stores. These immigrants moved in next door, playing loud music and expressing no interest in becoming “Canadian.”
But what is a Canadian? We are a multicultural country, so is there a singular way to be Canadian?
In 1971, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the prime minister who pioneered the idea of multiculturalism (and my mom’s favourite prime minister) said, “There are few policies more disastrous for Canada than to tell all Canadians that they must be alike. There is no such thing as a model or ideal Canadian.”
He continued, “A society which eulogizes the average citizen is one which breeds mediocrity. What the world should be seeking, and what in Canada we must continue to cherish, are not concepts of uniformity but human values: compassion, love and understanding.”
In 2024, Canadians are saying that we are welcoming too many immigrants. We all know there is a housing shortage that is seeing people pay thousands of dollars for a place to live. Just like people born in Canada, those who move here need a place to sleep at night.
It’s easy to scapegoat immigrants for lack of affordable housing, but as much as people move to Canada for a so-called better life, Canada needs these people to keep our economy moving; many of them doing the jobs we are turning our noses up at.
After becoming a Canadian citizen, my mom worked with the elderly as a nurse’s aide. She fed, bathed and took care of some of the most vulnerable people in her community. The ladies she worked with came from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and a host of other Caribbean islands. They formed the backbone of care many families relied on.
There will always be a need for immigrants — unless we can replace our aging population by increasing birth rates. Since that’s not happening, we require immigrants, like my mother, to support Canada’s growth.
My mother, like so many others, didn’t just come to Canada for a better life — she came to help build a better Canada.
Source: Toronto Star
Read the Canadian Encyclopedia entry on the West Indian Domestic Workers Scheme.
Watch a video about some of the first ladies in the West Indian Domestic Workers Scheme.
Listen to a podcast West Indian Domestic Scheme: Nurturing a Nation from Historica Canada.