England

Before I started this assignment I knew very little about my family’s heritage. I knew that my mother’s side of the family was from England, but that’s as specific as I knew. In order to find out more information, I spoke with both of my grandparents. Since both of them were born and grew up in Canada, I had to rely on my research to find out what my life would be like as a 16 year old living in England.

If I were still living in England, my life would be mostly the same as it is now. Many things such as voting rights, social life and lifestyle are very similar. In England, school is only mandatory up until the age of 16, but some form of education is mandatory until the age of 18. I would currently be in my last year of high school, and preparing to go on to college, an apprenticeship or volunteering regularly. Once you turn 16 you are able to start working full time (40 hours a week), but the minimum wage for 16 - 17 is only £3.87 per hour ($6.24 CAD), compared to the student minimum wage in Ontario which is $10.70 per hour. This vast difference, almost half the wage, is one reason I am glad my great grandfather decided to immigrate here.

In England, you can apply for a driver's license when you’re 15 and 9 months, and you can apply for it online. However you can’t operate any vehicles (moped and quad bike) until you’re 16, and you can’t drive a car until 17. Also you have to drive on the left side of the road, not the right side! The National Health Service (NHS) was started in 1948 and is free to all 64.6 million UK residents, including 54.3 million residents of England. Their health care covers everything, including antenatal screening, routine screenings (such as the NHS Health Check), treatments for long-term conditions, transplants, emergency treatment and end-of-life care. Which is similar to the free health care provided in Canada.

     

My great grandfather was born 1892 and immigrated from Buxton, England on June 6, 1913 at the age of 21 aboard the Allan Line RMS Virginian heading to Montreal, Canada from Liverpool, England. While speaking with my grandfather he told me that, “[His father] left England for work because [at the time] his options for work in a small town in England were very limited, and [he couldn’t imagine his life going anywhere]. Life in Canada was blossoming and there were vast opportunities he could only dream of, so when the chance to move to Canada and start a new life presented itself, he had no choice but to take it. He made the journey to Canada alone then proceeded to move to Toronto. In 1915, just 2 years after immigrating, he enlisted in the Canadian Army and headed overseas to fight in World War I for his country, where he stayed for 2 years, returning in 1916. He then became an executive at the CN Rail company where he met my great-grandmother, his receptionist.

                

Overall, I realised that my life in England would be almost identical to how I live my life now, as the culture and lifestyle in both countries are very similar. However, I am grateful that my ancestors made the decision to immigrate to Canada.

Works Cited

Lupton, Shirley. Interview. 28 Dec. 2016.

Lupton, Don. Interview. 28, Dec. 2016.

"Welcome to GOV.UK." Welcome to GOV.UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.

"About the National Health Service (NHS) in England." NHS Choices. Department of Health,              n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.