Why Were Residential Schools Established?Residential Schools were established by the Canadian government as an attempt to integrate Aboriginal youth into a Euro-Canadian culture. The primary objective of these schools was to remove and isolate Aboriginal youth from their families, culture, and traditions and to assimilate them into white culture. Throughout the period It was stated by the government , "to kill the Indian in the child," this policy reflected the harm and injustices Native youth faced.
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Both government and Plains Nations wanted schools to be included in the treaties of 1870 and beyond. However, the parties involved had different expectations. Aboriginal leaders believed that the schools would help their youth transition and learn skills for a new society dominated by strangers. After the implementation of the Indian Act in 1876, the Canadian government was required to provide education for Indigenous youth, this resulted in schools run by Christian missionaries that forced the youth to conform to the beliefs of the dominate Euro-Canadian culture.
Life at
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Residential school revolved on a half day scheduled. Students would spend half the day at school and the rest of the day working. The government said this system would help students learn skills that would help them earn a living as an adult, but in reality this helped Parliament run residential schools inexpensively rather than provide vocational training.
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Health |
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission stated at least 4000 Aboriginal youth died in overcrowded schools. Many youth died from malnutrition and being under fed. Also their vulnerability to new world diseases such as tuberculosis and influenza contributed to youth deaths. Research from food historian Ian Mosby, uncover residential school students from 1940-1950's were subject to nutritional experiments without their knowledge or consent. Approval from various government departments resulted in research by leading nutritional experts in which students were restricted from proper food and dental care.
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Closures |
*Image Above: Gordon Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, Last Residential School in Canada, Closed in 1996These schools provoked resistance from Aboriginal youth and adults. Political leaders and Indigenous parents protested the schools harsh conditions. Although their objections were originally ignored, by the 1940's both governments and most missionary bodies knew the schools were inefficient. Aboriginal protesting help create change in the policy and by the 1960's the school system was taken over by the department of Indian Affairs; ending the Missionaries involvement. Notwithstanding the resistance to the closures from the Churches, most schools closed in 1986 and the last residential school Gordon Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan finally closed in 1996.
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Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement |
The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) is the largest class action settlement in Canadian History. This agreement recognized the damage the residential schools caused to the students and their families. In addition, the government established a multi-billion dollar fund to help surviving students and their recovery. The IRSSA came to effect in September 2007, and contained 5 main parts: The Common Experience Payment, Independent Assessment Process, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Commemoration, and Health and Healing Services.
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TRC: Legacy of Residential Schools |
Child WelfareIn many ways Residential Schools were more of a child welfare system rather than an educational one. Missionaries and the government believed that Aboriginal culture endangered Native youth. In their attempt to "civilize" Native youth, Parliament and the Churches isolated Aboriginal youth from their families and communities. Children who experienced strict and regimented discipline grew up to become adults who do not know how to care and love for their own children.
Language and CultureThe schools were government-sponsored attempts to destroy Aboriginal cultures and languages, and forced Aboriginal youth to conform to Euro-Canadian culture. Surviving students found themselves unwilling to teach future generations about Aboriginal culture. This resulted in most of the 90 surviving Aboriginal languages endangered of being lost and forgotten.
JusticeParliament has failed to provide justice to survivors who faced physical and sexual abuse. Many of those who encountered trauma, succumbed to addictions and found themselves come into conflict with the law. Indigenous people who were arrested, prosecuted, and convicted, were more likely to be sentenced to prison than non-Aboriginal people. Furthermore, Aboriginal people are 58% more likely to be the victims of crimes than non-Aboriginal people. The most harrowing factor is the many murdered or missing Aboriginal women in Canada. Between 1980 and 2012 1,710 Aboriginal women and girls were reported missing and 225 of these cases are still unsolved.
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EducationResidential schools failed to provide adequate education for Aboriginal youth. Residential school students left schools unprepared and unfit to succeed in the market economy or return to traditional life styles such hunting or fish. Lack of role models and mentors, insufficient funding, inadequate teachers, and unsuitable curricula taught in a foreign language all contributed to dismal success rates. Native children who went to residential schools have a higher chance of unemployment or underemployment rates, poverty, poor housing, substance abuse, family violence, and health problems.
HealthMany students residential schools succumbed to diseases such as tuboculosis. Also many students sexual assaults and physical abuse. Many students who endured abuse turned to self-harm. The trauma residential school students faced may pass though many generations. This causes higher than average suicide rates. The TRC stated, "A comprehensive health care strategy that recognizes the value of traditional healing practices is desperately needed to help close these gaps in health outcomes.
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