Residential Schools In Canada

Many secrets of residential schools were revealed over time. 180,000 children attended residential schools, however, 4,500 never came back. The first residential school opened up in 1831, in Brantford, Ontario. By 1920 attending residential schools was compulsory for First Nations children from the ages 7-15 years old. In 1931, there were 80 operating residential schools, the highest number of schools at one point in time. In 1948, 72 operating residential schools in the system with a total of 9,368 students. However, in 1979, there were only 12 residential schools with 1,899 students. Residential schools lasted until 1996 when the last school closed in Saskatchewan.

Residential schools were created by Christian churches and the Canadian government as an attempt to both educate and convert Indigenous youth and to assimilate them into Canadian society. However, the schools disrupted lives and communities, causing long-term problems among Indigenous peoples.

The Residential schools served the purpose of assimilation. The Churches wanted to “take away the Indian in the children”. Sadly, some people thought that they were doing the children a favour when if the children would have stayed in the reserves they would have died of famine. However, Canadians didn’t know how bad residential schools were until 1988 when Phil Fontaine publicly spoke publicly about the trauma that he suffered at the Fort Alexander Indian Residential School. Fontaine called for a public inquiry. Unfortunately, the government quickly denied this request. After the government denied the abuse. Consequently, many protests started. The protesters were sprayed with tear gas, quickly shutting them down. In summary, residential schools were a shameful part of Canadian history.

“We should never forget… It is part of who we are as a nation. And this nation must never forget what it once did to its most vulnerable people.”-Murray Sinclair

Over the years people have said that society should move forward because residential schools are in the past. However, residential schools are still an important piece in modern-day history. We will not forget the horrors of residential schools. If we forget the past we are doomed to repeat it.