The apprenticeship system which began in the pre-industrial economy was still being used in the early nineteenth century, and young apprentices were compelled by law to stay with their masters. An apprentice who ran away from his master was pursued and, once recaptured, was punished or imprisoned. This notice in the Gazette de QuÄbec (September 2, 1802) tells of an eighteen-year-old runaway apprentice and offers a reward to anyone who can assist in recapturing him. The use of child labour did not begin with industrialization; it had always existed in traditional society, in both artisanal and agricultural production.
Courtesy: Public Archives of Canada (C 65112 and C 65128)
