Case Study: The Indian Residential School System

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The Indian Residential School System was run by the Canadian Government with the help of various churches with the objective of “killing the Indian in the child” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada 2015). An estimated 150 000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children passed through the Residential School System between 1867 and 1996, and life for these children was lonely and alien (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada 2015). The Canadian Government has tried to maintain mutually respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, however, their efforts to reconcile with Indigenous people have not been adequate to heal the wounds of cultural genocide left by the Indian Residential School System. The Canadian Government has relied too heavily on formal apologies and promises rather than on implementing policy changes when attempting to reconcile with the Indigenous people. Although the government has tried to …show more content…

While Harper refused to implement any of the 94 Calls to Action, Trudeau promised to do so and has not; he also has not adhered to the regulations set out by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (Mas 2016). Reconciliation with Indigenous people has not occurred because the government has not moved from words to actions. Another roadblock in reconciling with Indigenous people is the limited financial compensation given to Residential School Survivors by the government. Multiple payment programs have been set in place by the government in an effort to heal the wounds left by the Residential Schools, but they have not been sufficient. The Common Experience Payment allots funds to all survivors of the Residential Schools, and the Independent Assessment Process gives payment to survivors of severe sexual or physical abuse whilst in the School System (Warick 2011). Both are limited and

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