Let me tell you a story of my experience re Child Labour Laws... When I was 10 years old my mother could not cope and booted me out. Only option was to go live with my father. I lasted till age 12 there, and then he booted me out too. No options at all now. Went to the family services office and the only thing they would do is send me to a foster home. Heard plenty of bad stories about foster homes, would rather live on the streets. My mother continued to collect welfare for me, and my father continued to collect family allowance for me - I did not see a dime of that. Only thing I could think of to do was to try to find some kind of job and look after myself, no one else was going to. I was always interested in boats, and very soon got a job on a commercial salmon fishing boat. It was incredibly tough work, very long 18 to 22 hour days for 3 months straight, no days off. My first season, I got only 5% of the gross. Next season 10%, 3rd season a full 15% deckhand at age 15. Made enough money during the summer to last me through the rest of the year by staying at very cheap room and board type places, supplementing income with part time work doing odd jobs. The room and board places only charged me as I recall $400 per month. For that $400 I got a clean room, free access to laundry, access to a shower and 3 meals a day. And I did not have to answer to anyone. I got myself all the way through high school by doing this. I was very lucky, these old course and rough fishermen looked after me, raised me and taught me how to be a man of honour and integrity. I owe those old fishermen bigtime for taking a chance on me. Today, there is no way a 12 year old child can do the same or similar. The laws prevent this, and today no one is going to risk hiring a 12 year kid off the street. So what do the children of today do ? Off to the foster home to be abused, or live on the streets and be prey to worse. I say perhaps we need to think again re these child labour laws we have here.