A Women's Land Army in Canada? Yes!

Thedford Camp #6, Ontario, 1943

Ontario Farmerettes showing off their uniforms.

Advertisement from The Richmond Hill Liberal Newspaper, May 13, 1943.

The Women's Land Army in Canada has long been overlooked.  Perhaps this is because it was not a national program, and instead, was organized provincially.  Or, it could be that because women have been conducting farm labour in Canada for so long, a Women's Land Army was not dissimilar to "ordinary life." 

But, Ontario implemented a Women's Land Army during the First World War, and both British Columbia and Ontario utilized a WLA during, and after, the Second World War.  Women were recruited from cities, towns, and rural areas to conduct farm labour due to a shortage of men after many enlisted or gravitated to better-paying industrial jobs in urban centres.  These women and girls lived in hostels, cabins, and on farms for the summer months, picking fruits and vegetables, hoeing, weeding, planting, and cultivating. Many called it the "adventure of a lifetime" and made lifelong friends while working. 

Please explore this website to familiarize yourself with the Women's Land Army in Canada and learn about the hardworking women who contributed so much to Canada's Homefront.

This website is run by Kelsey Lonie, a Canadian Historian who focuses on the Women's Land Army in Canada and the contribution of women on the Homefront during the Second World War.