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The Royal Proclamation of 1763
The British wanted to officially claim their territory following the victory of the Seven Years War, leading King George III to introduce the Royal Proclamation of 1763 (pictured) and establishing how Britain would interact with Aboriginal peoples. The Proclamation gave ownership of North America to the King, although it stated all land would remain Aboriginal land until ceded by treaty. Some argue that the proclamation is still in effect today. (photo 1) -
Indian Act Introduced
The federal government at the time wished to assimilate First Nations with Europeans, introducing the Indian Act and giving control of First Nations education, culture, politics, and economics to the federal government. The act has been amended many times since, mainly to remove discriminatory sections. When introduced, it revoked many rights of First Nations, at times stating they are "not allowed to vote in... elections" and "Indians who attend university are automatically enfranchised." -
The Davin Report
Due to John A. Macdonald's interest in the residential school system, Nicholas Flood Davin was sent to tour the United States and speak to the US Commissioner of Indian Affairs about the possibility of instituting similar schools in Canada. Davin, a lawyer, journalist, and politician, suggested "an extensive application of the principle of industrial boarding schools in the North-West," later leading to the establishment of four residential schools. -
Residential Schools Established
Due to an attempt to assimilate Indigenous peoples with Euro-Canadian culture, the Canadian government forced Aboriginal children to attend residential schools, during where they were not allowed to speak their native languages, practice their religions, and suffered abuse and sickness. The effects of these schools continue to persist through intergenerational trauma. The graph shows the number of residential schools by province recognized by the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. -
Agreement Between Government and Churches
In 1892, the federal government of Canada came to a formal agreement with Christian churches about the operation of residential schools. Afterwards, the government faced many complaints from parents and leaders about the consequences of residential schools. Children were malnourished, weakened, and facing abuse and disease. In addition, teachers were often under-qualified and children were losing their own culture. -
Schooling Becomes Mandatory
In 1920, the Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Duncan Campbell Scott, made schooling compulsory for all First Nations children between the ages of 7 and 15. By the end of his tenure, the Indigenous attendance rose to 17 000 in all schools, with over 8000 enrolled in the residential school system. -
"A National Crime"
Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce, Chief Medical Officer for Indian Affairs published a report called "A National Crime" advocating for improved health conditions in residential schools. He previously reported in 1907 that "the old-fashioned buildings, their... imperfect methods of heating and [a]... lack of knowledge of the meaning of ventilation" led to "the invariable cause of death," tuberculosis.
Importantly, these statements brought attention to the mistreatment of the children in the schools. -
Amendments to Indian Act
During the Second World War, many First Nations soldiers fought for Canada. Because of this, Canadians began to realize the contributions that Indigenous peoples were making to the nation. Following the war, notable amendments were made to the Indian Act, making it legal for First Nations to practice their culture and traditions. -
Beginning of Sixties Scoop
In the mid-twentieth century, largely due to the effects of residential schools on families, the government decided many Indigenous homes were unsafe for children. During the Sixties Scoop, thousands of Indigenous children were taken out of their homes by the government and adopted by other families. They often suffered a loss of cultural identity, as they were usually placed in non-Indigenous homes, as well as shame and frustration. In addition, many of the foster homes were abusive. -
White Paper Introduced
The White Paper, proposed by Pierre Trudeau, aimed to create equality for Indigenous peoples by treating them like other Canadian citizens. Parts of this proposal included eliminating "Indian" as a legal status, abolishing the Indian Act, and dissolving the Department of Indian Affairs, passing responsibility to the provinces. It was met with negative responses from Indigenous peoples as they felt the government was still trying to assimilate them and avoid taking ownership for past mistakes. -
Government Takes Over Residential Schools
The government was beginning to recognize the damaging effects of residential schools and began to integrate Indigenous children into the public education system. Because of this, in 1969, the government and the Church ended their partnership as the government took over residential schools. Local bands began to control the schools instead. Students from the Brandon Indian Residential School in Manitoba in 1949 are pictured. (photo 2) -
Last Residential School Closes
The last Canadian residential school, the Gordon Indian Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan (pictured) closed in 1996. Beginning in the nineteenth century, the Canadian government funded about 139 residential schools with over 150 000 students in total, approximately 60% of which were operated by the Roman Catholic Church. An estimated 6000 children past away while attending residential school. (photo 3) -
Establishment of the Aboriginal Healing Fund
The Aboriginal Healing Fund was established following the issue of Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan by the federal government. The fund would manage $350 million from the government over the next decade to try to restore the well-being for Aboriginal families affected by issues such as violence, depression, poverty, alcoholism, and lack of parenting skills. The fund also received $125 million in 2007 from the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. -
The Legacy of Hope Foundation Established
The Legacy of Hope Foundation developed Where are the Children? to promote the understanding of residential schools. Survivors such as Velma Page speak of their experiences, saying she couldn't talk or "you would get strapped or get your ears pulled or your hair pulled." Basil Ambers, a survivor of St. Michael's, said he "started to lose [his] ability to speak Kwiakah," his native language, and Walter West describes "a group of kids that would be picking on [him] and fighting me every day". -
Stephen Harper Offers Apology for Residential Schools on Behalf of Canada
Stephen Harper presented the Assembly of First Nations national chief Phil Fontaine (pictured) with an apology for the operation of residential schools on behalf of the government, acknowledging that the residential school policy "has had a lasting and damaging impact on Aboriginal culture, heritage and language." Fontaine, a survivor himself, spoke of his own sexual abuse experiences in 1990, saying "if there were 20 boys in his class, every... one of them would have experienced" it. (photo 4) -
Intergenerational Survivor Speaks Out
Anishinaabe man Maeengan Linklater spoke out about the struggles of being the child of a residential school survivor and called on Manitoba to recognize the schools as cultural genocide. He said the schools were responsible for "high rates of addiction, abuse, violence, illness and death" of Indigenous peoples. He also explained his mother "often cried or raged or drank or disappeared into herself" and as a child he had a hard time determining why she found it difficult to show affection. -
Canada Adopts UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples
In 2016, under the Justin Trudeau Liberal government, Canada officially adopted the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, changing the country's status from an objector to a full supporter. This was an important step in Canada's history, as the declaration acknowledges Indigenous rights regarding "culture... traditions... identity, language, health, and education." http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/canada-adopting-implementing-un-rights-declaration-1.3575272 -
Aboriginal People Gather in Toronto to Address Sixties Scoop
200 Aboriginal people gathered to speak and share their stories about how the Sixties Scoop has impacted their lives. Survivor Angela Ashawasegai said she lost her culture, connection with her family, and "it's very, very hard to feel that [she] belongs somewhere." She also explained that growing up she "was being physically abused, yelled at, put down" and faced racism from her adoptive family. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/sixties-scoop-supporters-1.3732037 -
Raven Sinclair Shares Sixties Scoop Story
Dr. Raven Sinclair (pictured), a Sixties Scoop survivor and social work professor shared her story with the Saskatoon StarPheonix. She described "being shipped around 26 or 27 times," dealing with "emotional, physical and sexual abuse in the foster system," and facing bullying and discrimination almost everyday. These experiences led to suicidal thoughts for almost twenty years. (photo 5) -
First Sixties Scoop Lawsuit Victory
In February of 2017 Superior Court judge Edward Belobaba gave Sixties Scoop victims their first lawsuit victory in Canada. The $1.3 billion lawsuit had been filed in 2009 against the Canadian government and in October of 2017 the government announced a settlement of $800 million with Sixties Scoop survivors.
