Toronto – Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, on behalf of Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, will participate in a Parks Canada and Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque unveiling ceremony to commemorate the national historic significance of the West Indian Domestic Scheme.
From 1955 to 1967, the West Indian Domestic Scheme was a targeted immigration program through which women from Caribbean countries came to Canada to work as domestic servants, at a time when government policies restricted non-white immigration. As we commemorate the Scheme, we can better understand the challenges these women faced upon their arrival in Canada and celebrate the contributions they and their descendants have made in the communities they call home.
The West Indian Domestic Scheme was a targeted immigration program through which approximately 3,000 women from the Caribbean came to Canada to work as domestic servants. While still very restrictive, it increased Black immigration to Canada in the post-Second World War era, when discriminatory immigration policies limited the entry of non-white immigrants. The Scheme combined an immigration program with Canadian diplomacy as part of Canada’s evolving economic relationships with Caribbean nations. It also contributed to the growth of Caribbean culture in Canada, especially within the Toronto and Montréal communities.
The Department of Citizenship and Immigration launched the Scheme in 1955 to help meet the demand for domestic labour. In its first year, there was a quota of 100, but the system was so successful that annual quotas increased through the 1960s. To be eligible, women had to be single, between 18 and 35 years of age, have at least an 8th grade education, and pass a medical examination conducted by Canadian immigration officials. Through this process, they were subjected to a level of ‘moral’ scrutiny that was not only unique compared to other immigration programs but also significantly influenced the way they were perceived in Canada as well as their lived experience in the program.