The Failure Of The Euro-Canadian Residential Education System
Thesis:
The government’s failure to adequately support the Indigenous peoples of Canada is highlighted in how poorly the following three cases or events were handled: residential schools, the Harper apology, and the current living conditions on reserves. The federal government excused and participated in the abuse in residential schools, failed to take action against the pain inflicted upon residential school survivors and family, and continued to allow current Indigenous peoples to live in terrible living conditions.
Residential schools were a collaborative effort between the federal government and Eurocentric religious institutions to assimilate Indigenous children into the Euro-Canadian culture but had resulted in causing long-term …show more content…
The Department of Indian Affairs was established and had ended church involvement with running residential schools soon after. 17 years later, most schools were either closed or turned over to local First Nations bans by 1986. After 1998, indigenous communities were offered financial assistance by the federal government to support families of former students deal with residual issues born from their time at the schools; including breakdowns, violence, aimlessness, and any trauma. The effects of the schooling system greatly impacted former students, who pressed for recognition and restitution from the government. The continued efforts resulted in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) of 2007, followed by a formal apology from Harper in 2008. The IRSSA also formed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) whose purpose was to raise public awareness and record a historical report on residential schools. The Harper government, when given the report by the TRC, went on the defensive. With the new comprehensive report on how damaging residential school truly was, the TRC prompted the government to take action. The federal government opted to instead point out how they were the first to take action to mend past mistakes against the First Nations. While apologies are a commendable first step towards rectifying bonds between the government and First
The government’s failure to adequately support the Indigenous peoples of Canada is highlighted in how poorly the following three cases or events were handled: residential schools, the Harper apology, and the current living conditions on reserves. The federal government excused and participated in the abuse in residential schools, failed to take action against the pain inflicted upon residential school survivors and family, and continued to allow current Indigenous peoples to live in terrible living conditions.
Residential schools were a collaborative effort between the federal government and Eurocentric religious institutions to assimilate Indigenous children into the Euro-Canadian culture but had resulted in causing long-term …show more content…
The Department of Indian Affairs was established and had ended church involvement with running residential schools soon after. 17 years later, most schools were either closed or turned over to local First Nations bans by 1986. After 1998, indigenous communities were offered financial assistance by the federal government to support families of former students deal with residual issues born from their time at the schools; including breakdowns, violence, aimlessness, and any trauma. The effects of the schooling system greatly impacted former students, who pressed for recognition and restitution from the government. The continued efforts resulted in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) of 2007, followed by a formal apology from Harper in 2008. The IRSSA also formed a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) whose purpose was to raise public awareness and record a historical report on residential schools. The Harper government, when given the report by the TRC, went on the defensive. With the new comprehensive report on how damaging residential school truly was, the TRC prompted the government to take action. The federal government opted to instead point out how they were the first to take action to mend past mistakes against the First Nations. While apologies are a commendable first step towards rectifying bonds between the government and First