Canada's Version of The Help | The West Indian Domestic Scheme

Girl, You Haven't Heard??

After the enslavement era ended in Canada, rich white families had no one to tend to their home, raise their children, and take care of all things domestic. This coincided with the second wave of feminism that rocked the country and had white women rebelling against everything domestic, anything that was influenced by patriarchal standards and ideals. The Canadian government, and their wealthy friends realized that they needed to fix this labour gap, and so they turned to the Caribbean islands to meet their demand. They advertised this program as a great opportunity when in reality, it was exploitative in nature. The women who came to Canada through this program were overworked, they were underpaid, subject to all forms of racism, and they were abused in every way imaginable. In this episode we discuss the details of the West Indian Domestic Scheme, the realities these women faced, and how this program has lingering impacts to this day.

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Background Information 00:20

West Indian Domestic Scheme 02:22

Eligibility 05:27

Life in Canada 10:16

Life of a Domestic Scheme Worker 13:05

Contract Expiration 18:30

The Phase Out 21:40

My Thoughts 25:41