Indian Residential Schools

Indian Residential Schools were government-funded institutions in Canada aimed at assimilating Indigenous children into Western culture, operating from the late 19th century until the late 20th century. Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities to attend these schools, where they faced harsh discipline, neglect, and cultural erasure. The legacy of these schools includes intergenerational trauma, loss of language and culture, and ongoing impacts on Indigenous communities. In recent years, the truth about these institutions has been recognized, leading to calls for reconciliation and healing, as well as formal apologies from the government and church organizations involved.