Residential Schools

Hello LINC 7 Students,

Today, in our look at Canadian history, we were discussing "systemic racism" in a society and how a country grows beyond that -- through examining the past, assessing its mistakes and apologizing. This is considered "progressive" behaviour; hopefully, the nation grows and matures -- and Canada learns from its mistakes!

Here is some additional information on residential schools in Canada, which you'll need to answer the questions on the handout I gave you:


Key Facts About Residential Schools

Residential Schools: government-sponsored schools run by churches  

Primary Purpose: to integrate or assimilate Indigenous children into mainstream, Euro-Canadian culture  

Number of students who attended: 150,000 (estimate)  

Number of students who died: 6,000 (estimate; records incomplete)  

How long did they operate?
Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario, accepted first boarding students in 1831.
Gordon Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, closed in 1996. 



An excellent resource on this topic is the online version of the Canadian Encyclopedia: Residential Schools in Canada.This is a long article, so you can simply skim and scan at first. We'll be watching a video from this website in class tomorrow.