ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Royals thank Caribbean migrants for contribution to the U.K.

Britain's Prince William speaks during the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station in London, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The unveiling of the statue - of a man, woman and child in their Sunday best standing on top of suitcases on Wednesday will mark Windrush Day. (John Sibley/Pool Photo via AP) Britain's Prince William speaks during the unveiling of the National Windrush Monument at Waterloo Station in London, Wednesday, June 22, 2022. The unveiling of the statue - of a man, woman and child in their Sunday best standing on top of suitcases on Wednesday will mark Windrush Day. (John Sibley/Pool Photo via AP)
Share
LONDON -

Queen Elizabeth II and her grandson Prince William paid tribute Wednesday to Britain's Caribbean immigrants for their "profound contribution" to the U.K., as a national monument was unveiled in London to celebrate the migrants' work to help rebuild Britain after World War II.

William and his wife, Kate, unveiled the statue -- depicting a man, woman and child standing atop suitcases -- at London's Waterloo train station. In his speech, William highlighted the racism faced by thousands who journeyed to Britain in the post-war years, and said it still affects their descendants today.

"Discrimination remains an all too familiar experience for Black men and women in Britain in 2022," he said.

William referred to a British government scandal that "profoundly wronged" tens of thousands who travelled to Britain between 1948 and 1973 after the government called on colonies to send workers amid post-war labor shortages. The new arrivals were called the "Windrush generation" after the Empire Windrush, the ship that brought the first 500 migrants to British shores in 1948.

In 2018, the Windrush scandal revealed that thousands of Caribbean migrants who had lived and worked legally in the U.K. for decades were ensnared by tough new rules designed to crack down on illegal immigration.

Scores lost their jobs, homes and the right to free medical care because they didn't have the paperwork to prove their status. Some were detained, and an unknown number were deported to countries they barely remembered.

Britain's government apologized and offered compensation, but many have complained that the claiming process is too cumbersome and the payments offered aren't high enough to make up for harm done by the British government.

"Alongside celebrating the diverse fabric of our families, our communities and our society as a whole -- something the Windrush generation has contributed so much to -- it is also important to acknowledge the ways in which the future they sought and deserved has yet to come to pass," William said.

In a written message, signed Elizabeth R., the queen said the new statue was a "fitting thank you to the Windrush pioneers and their descendants, in recognition of the profound contribution they have made to the United Kingdom over the decades."

Next year marks 75 years since the arrival of the Empire Windrush in Essex, near London, bringing workers and children from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other islands.

Britain's government, which provided 1 million pounds (US$1.2 million) to fund the statue in Waterloo station, said the monument is meant to be a "permanent place of reflection."

It "symbolizes the courage, commitment and resilience of the thousands of men, women and children who travelled to the U.K. to start new lives from 1948 to 1971," the government said.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.