Let's make amends for residential schools

Five years ago, I went on a cruise in the North. I have seen much of this wonderful country but like most Canadians, I had never been up North. I know this sounds extravagant but in my defense, a cruise is the only way to see much of it.  The voyage was from Reykjavik Iceland, which is wonderful, around the tip of Greenland, on to Nunavut including a stop in Iqaluit, and then down the coast of Labrador to St. John's, Newfoundland.  

Qaqortoq, Greenland

The North is so beautiful and it's all it's cracked up to be. There are thundering glaciers, shimmering Northern Lights, landscapes covered in flowers, and beautiful friendly children.  Here's a picture of some students in Qaqortoq, Greenland. Look at the town behind them.  The homes are freshly painted and you might not spot them but there's a school and a hospital too.  It was a different story in Labrador.  In the towns where we stopped, I saw buildings that were generally in poor repair and children who were high.

The stark contrast between these communities left me with real questions. The people of the Greenland and Labrador communities are of similar backgrounds and culture. So why is it that a relatively small country like Denmark can appear to get it right while a wealthy country like Canada gets it so wrong?  I have given this some thought over time and it seems that the answer boils down to a difference in the histories.  From what I've read of Greenland's history, it never had residential schools.

Handcuffs used on Native American school children

Let's look at the question of residential schools for a moment because there can often be some confusion.  While residential schools were boarding schools, they were also designed to assimilate Aboriginal children. Residential schools were first opened in 1831 and the last one was closed in 1996. Unlike boarding schools, children as young as four years of age were forcibly sent to live continuously at residential schools often for many years at a time.

A school is supposed to be a refuge for children but students in residential schools were forbidden from speaking their language and practicing their traditions. Hundreds of miles away from home and without a means of travel, many students did not see their families for years.  And we all know about the abuse including sexual abuse that happened in these schools.  I have had the honour of speaking to survivors of residential schools. When I hear the stories, I cannot help but cry for their pain.  How can it be in a country like Canada that these schools were allowed to become something akin to prisons for so many little children?   

Yesterday, I listened to the Speech from the Throne.  There were 133 references to "our government" in the speech.  I counted them.  

In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized to the survivors of residential schools. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I believe that when you genuinely apologize, you also try to make amends. Towards this end, I had hoped to hear in the Throne Speech something about a new government initiative for educating children on reserves.  Instead I heard this:

Our Government recognizes the tremendous potential of Canada’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations to strengthen the growing Canadian economy. It will continue working with First Nations to develop stronger, more effective, and more accountable on-reserve education systems. 

Does this sound like a new initiative to you?  And doesn't it strike you as rather odd that "our government" would honour Malala Yousafzai, who is rightly deserving of honour for her heroic efforts in support of education, while ignoring the educational needs of students here at home?

There is an ongoing legacy from these schools that will haunt First Nations and Inuit people for generations. At the impressionable age of 4, Aboriginal children were robbed of their language and culture, robbed of good parenting role models and love, and ultimately robbed of their childhoods.  And with the poverty that surrounds many reserve communities today, how can these children who are now adults hope to raise healthy children?

Governor General Johnston, I am one of your many proud Canadians.  But when I think about the history of the residential schools, I am filled with a deep sense of shame.  It is time for this government to make good on its apology.


For more information about residential schools, go to The Legacy of Hope Foundation or to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The views expressed in this post are personal opinions only.