Campaigners are strongly urging King Charles and Queen Camilla to leverage their current visit to Canada to formally seek an apology from the Canadian government for the historical abuse and mistreatment of British children, known as "Home Children." This call to action highlights the decades of suffering endured by these children under a controversial migration scheme.

Between 1869 and 1948, over 100,000 children were transported from orphanages and care homes in the United Kingdom to Canada. Many of these children were subsequently exploited as cheap labour, predominantly serving as farm workers and domestic servants. Reports indicate that a significant number of these Home Children were subjected to severe mistreatment and various forms of abuse. Despite apologies issued by the United Kingdom and Australia for their roles in similar child migrant schemes, Canada has thus far resisted issuing a formal apology for its involvement.

Advocates for the Home Children, including their descendants, view the royal visit as a pivotal moment and a "great opportunity" for Canada to reconsider its stance. John Jefkins, whose father Bert was among the 115,000 British Home Children sent to Canada (arriving in 1914 with his brother Reggie), emphasized the critical need for an apology. "It's really important for the Home Children themselves and for their descendants," Jefkins stated. "It's something we deserve and it's really important for the healing process, as well as building awareness of the experience of the Home Children. They were treated very, very badly by the Canadian government at the time. A lot of them were abused, they were treated horribly. They were second-class citizens, lepers in a way."

Jefkins further noted the unique timing: "I think the King's visit provides a great opportunity to reinforce our campaign and to pursue an apology because we're part of the Commonwealth and King Charles is a new Head of the Commonwealth meeting a new Canadian prime minister. It's a chance, for both, to look at the situation with a fresh eye." He also added, "There's much about this visit that looks on our sovereignty and who we are as Canadians, rightly so. I think it's also right that in contemplating the country we built, we focus on the people who built it, many in the most trying of circumstances."

The issue of addressing difficult historical legacies is not new to King Charles. During a tour of Canada in May 2022, when he was the Prince of Wales, he remarked, "We must find new ways to come to terms with the darker and more difficult aspects of the past." The current royal visit is a two-day engagement, during which the King is scheduled to deliver the Speech from the Throne to open the 45th session of Canada's parliament.

Queen Camilla also has a connection to this history through her patronage of Barnardo's, an organization that was involved in sending tens of thousands of Home Children to Canada. She became Patron in 2016, having previously served as its president since 2007. Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment on the campaigners' pleas.

In response to inquiries, a spokesperson for the Canadian government stated, "The government of Canada is committed to keeping the memory of the British Home Children alive. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada deeply regrets this unjust and discriminatory policy, which was in place from 1869 to 1948. Such an approach would have no place in modern Canada, and we must learn from past mistakes." While this statement expresses regret and acknowledges the policy's injustice, it does not constitute the formal apology sought by campaigners.