TRUTH &

RECONCILIATION
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
SEPTEMBER 16-22, 2013
!the single most harmful, disgraceful and racist act in our history
-Irwin Cotler
Federal Minister of Justice (2003-2006)
HISTORY
Parliament passed the Indian Act in 1876
The act was amended in 1920 to require all First Nations
children to attend government-operated school
Residential schools were often the only option for rural
communities
By the 1930s, there were approximately 80 First Nations
residential schools in Canada
English- or French-only
Religious
Implemented British or French culture
over First Nations culture
HISTORY
First Nations children suffered a wide range of
documented abuses in the residential school system
Forced removal from families
Physical and sexual abuse
Linguistic abuse
Forced labour
Forced sterilization
Disease
Death
Over 150,000
children graduated
from the schools
THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS AND
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
The residential schools and theories of cognitive
development
Theory of sociocultural development
Children are social beings who must be surrounded by adults willing to
help them learn
Zone of proximal development
Social scaffolding
Social referencing
How would being placed in a neglectful situation at such a critical
age affect childrens development, particularly given the importance
of sociocultural support in learning about the world?
THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS AND
LANGUAGE
Children in residential schools were forbidden to speak
their home langauges
Home languages were considered a part of First Nations culture,
which was defined as inferior to British or French culture
Children were only permitted to speak English or French, even
when they had little skill in the language
RECONCILIATION
The last residential school operated by the Government of
Canada, in Saskatchewan, was closed in 1996
The Government began issuing apologies to former
students and their families in 1998
Compensation packages of $10,000+ per student
Prime Minister Harper issued a formal apology and the Truth &
Reconciliation Commission was established in 2008
The Commission has hosted a series of national events to promote
education and healing
The last West Coast reconciliation is being held this week in Vancouver,
with events at the PNE and at UBC
Classes are cancelled on Wednesday to encourage student attendance
at the PNE
EVENTS
Program of Events at the PNE
http://www.trc.ca/websites/vancouver/File/
TRC-073.06%20BCNE%20program-web.pdf

UBC Events and Information
http://irsi.aboriginal.ubc.ca/