Raising Juvenile Delinquents: The Development of Saskatchewan's Child Welfare Laws, 1905-1930
Date
2003-04
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Hidden stories of child abuse and child neglect haunt Saskatchewan's past. The
inability of authorities to effectively and sympathetically help children in need of
protection is also part of the province's past. Between 1905 and 1930 the provincial
government initiated its responsibility for child welfare through the Children's
Protection Act and subsequent legislation. The legislation established a Department of
Neglected and Dependent Children and appointed officials who oversaw the
administration of child welfare within the province. Although the legislation eventually
eliminated discriminatory provisions for boys and girls and provided measures to ensure
Catholic and Protestant children maintained their religion, its silence on the cultural
diversity of children within the province allowed for middle-class goals of
Canadianization to dominate child welfare policies. The government also failed to
provide adequate provisions for provincial funding of the scheme. The legislation
assigned financial responsibility to resource-stricken municipal governments and local
organizations reliant on charitable donations, resulting in variable policies and the
availability of resources in jurisdictions across the province. The incomprehensive child
welfare scheme in Saskatchewan allowed for the inequitable treatment of children in
Saskatchewan between 1905 and 1930.
Analysis of the treatment available for male and female juvenile delinquents
reveals the discriminatory policies of Saskatchewan's child welfare system based on
middle-class goals of Canadianization and conformity to appropriate gender roles.
Juvenile delinquents challenged middle-class ideals through the commission of illegal
acts under the Canadian Criminal Code. However, juvenile delinquents were only part
of a larger group of children requiring special care and protection to preserve middleclass
expectations for the future of the province. The "making" of children into good
citizens meant moulding them to middle-class expectations regarding gender roles,
ethnicity, religion, and class. Overall, English, middle-class ideals dominated the
development of Saskatchewan's child welfare scheme. Although the government
eliminated differential treatment under statute laws, unwritten policies and individual
players created discrepancies in the treatment of boys and girls. The decentralized nature
of Saskatchewan's child welfare system between 1905 and 1930 allowed inconsistent
standards and the differential treatment of children.
Description
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Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
History
Program
History