Canadian Indian residential school system

In Canada, the Indian (Aboriginal) residential schools (French: pensionnats autochtones / écoles résidentielles) were a network of "residential" (boarding) schools for Indigenous people (First Nations or "Indians"; Métis and Inuit). The network was funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and administered by Christian churches.

The school system was rooted in policy aimed at removing children from the influence of the aboriginal culture, and assimilate them into the dominant Canadian culture. Over the course of the system's existence, approximately 30% of native children, or roughly 150,000, were placed in residential schools nationally. It has been estimated that at least 6,000 of these students died while in attendance.

The system had origins in laws enacted before Confederation, but was primarily active following the passage of the Indian Act in 1876, until 1996, when the last federally-operated residential school (located in the province of Saskatchewan) was closed. An amendment to the Indian Act in 1894 made attendance at day schools, industrial schools, or residential schools compulsory for First Nations children. Due to the remote nature of many communities, school locations meant that for some families residential schools were the only way to comply. School distance was also used as a way to intentionally keep families from their children. Indian Commissioner Hayter Reed argued for schools at greater distances to cut down on family visits that he viewed as counteracting the "civilizing" of Indigenous children. Parental visits were further restricted by the use of a pass system designed to confine Indigenous peoples to reserves.

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