The Canadian Indian residential school system was a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples. The network was funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by various Christian churches. The school system was created to isolate Indigenous children from the influence of their own culture and religion in order to assimilate them into the dominant Euro-Canadian culture.: 42
The system began with laws before Confederation and was mainly active after the Indian Act was passed in 1876. Attendance at these schools became compulsory in 1894, and many schools were located far from Indigenous communities to limit family contact. By the 1930s, about 30 percent of Indigenous children were attending residential schools. The last federally-funded residential school closed in 1997, with schools operating across most provinces and territories. Over the course of the system's more than 160-year history, around 150,000 children were placed in residential schools nationally.: 2–3
The schools caused significant harm to Indigenous children by removing them from their families and cultures, often leading to physical and sexual abuse, malnutrition, and disease. During their stay many students were forced to assimilate to Western Canadian culture, losing their indigenous identities and struggling to fit into both their own communities as well as Canadian society. This disruption has contributed to ongoing issues like post-traumatic stress and substance abuse in Indigenous communities. The number of school-related deaths remains unknown due to incomplete records. Estimates of the number of deaths vary widely, with most suggesting around 3,200, though some go as high as 30,000. The vast majority of these fatalities were caused by diseases such as tuberculosis.
Starting in 2008, there were apologies from politicians and religious groups for their roles in the system. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was established to uncover truths about the schools, concluding in a 2015 report that labeled the system as cultural genocide. Efforts have been ongoing to identify unmarked graves at former school sites, and the Pope acknowledged the system as genocide in 2022. The House of Commons called for recognition of the residential school system as genocide in October 2022.
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