Contributors or Casualties: Policy Choices Respecting the Child Farmer in Canada

摘要

This article focuses on the treatment of child labour under current Canadian policy. In particular, the situation of farm children is examined to determine whether they are treated equally in comparison to those who work off-farm for a wage. A comparative examination of the statutes put in place by the common law provinces to protect children (those 16 years of age or younger) from the potential financial and physical hazards of the workplace and the legislation applied to workers in the marketplaceby both the provinces and the federal government reveals that child labourers on farms do not receive the protection and benefits accorded other workers. This inequitable treatment is a deliberate policy choice made by the governments under study. It isargued that farms are among the most dangerous workplaces in Canada, and given the fact that children have less physical strength and experience than adults, they too require the protections and benefits made available to other workers by existing policies This article concludes with a discussion of possible alternatives.