RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS & WHY THEY SHOULD MATTER TO ALL CANADIANS

The Indian Act, which was first created in  in 1876, gave the Canadian government the right to control almost every aspect of Indigenous peoples’ lives. The Indian Act, the most paternalistic and contentious pieces of legislation in Canadian history, which still exists to this day, required FNMI children to attend residential schools, the majority of which operated after 1880.

Between 1831 and 1996, the Canadian government paid the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches to run residential schools in Canada. An estimated 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) children experienced residential schools, which had as their main objective to “kill the Indian in the child”. Residential schools were designed to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian society. Since the establishment of the Indian Act, successive Canadian governments have used legislative and judicial powers to strip Indigenous peoples of basic human and legal rights, dignity and integrity, in an attempt to obtain control over the peoples, their lands and resources.

"For over a century, beginning in the mid-1800s and continuing into the late 1990s, Aboriginal children in Canada were taken from their homes and communities, and were placed in institutions called residential schools. These schools were run by religious orders in collaboration with the federal government and were attended by children as young as four years of age. Separated from their families and prohibited from speaking their native languages and practicing their culture, the vast majority of the over 150,000 children who attended these schools experienced neglect and suffering. The impacts of the sexual, mental, and physical abuse, shame, and deprivation endured at Indian Residential Schools continue to affect generations of Survivors, their families, and communities today. It is estimated that 80,000 Survivors of residential schools are alive today. Remarkably, in the face of this tremendous adversity, many Survivors and their descendants have retained their language and their culture and continue to work toward healing and reconciliation. 

The Residential School System, as defined by the federal government, is limited to 139 schools that operated across Canada between 1831 and 1996. This definition is controversial and excludes provincially-administered schools, as well as hostels and day schools. Residential schools existed in almost all provinces and territories, and in the North also took the form of hostels and tent camps. The earliest recognized and longest-running Indian Residential School was the Mohawk Institute, in Brantford, Ontario, which operated from 1831 to 1962. The last federally-run Indian Residential School, Gordon’s School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, closed in 1996, and was subsequently demolished, marking the end of the residential school era. "

Read more on the SCHOOLS AS VEHICLES OF COLONIZATION page.

1. Continues to affect First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples from vibrant cultures who are vital contributors to Canadian society.

2. Happened here, in a country we call our own – a land considered to be a world leader in democracy and human rights.

3. Is one of the major causes of poverty, homelessness, substance abuse & violence among FNMI peoples - devastating conditions experienced by neighbours, friends & community members.

4. Aboriginal communities suffer levels of poverty, illness, and illiteracy comparable to those in developing nations – conditions that are being perpetuated through inaction.

5. We share this land. We may not be responsible for what happened in the past, but we all benefit from what First Nations, Inuit, and Métis have had to relinquish. We are responsible for our actions today.