For over 160 years, approximately 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend institutions designed to destroy their cultures. Beginning in 1650 with the arrival of the first settlers and missionaries, schools were established with the goal of acculturating and subjugating First Nations peoples.
Starting in 1883, Canadian leaders established the federal residential school system. The federal government was responsible for funding these institutions, while religious congregations were responsible for running them. The system included 139 residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996.
We offer a variety of content designed to help you better understand this period and its consequences, which led to the creation of Orange Shirt Day, which officially became National Truth and Reconciliation Day in 2021.
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