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Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Facts & Worksheets

In 2008, Canada established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in response to widespread litigation and the demand for justice and healing from survivors of the Indian residential school system.

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In 2008, Canada established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in response to widespread litigation and the demand for justice and healing from survivors of the Indian residential school system, a network of boarding schools intended for indigenous peoples, which took them away from the influence of their own culture and forced them to adapt to the dominant Canadian culture.

See the fact file below for more information on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BACKGROUND

  • For over 160 years, residential schools had existed in Canada, with around 150,000 indigenous students. It became a tactic of aggressive assimilation and colonisation of indigenous peoples, forcing them to abandon their own culture and tradition.
  • The federal government also saw the residential school system as a way to convert the indigenous peoples and poor children into Catholics and Protestants to serve as their workers. It likewise allowed the colonial power to claim the ancestral lands of the indigenous communities, especially because Canada as a nation was still under reformation at the time.
  • Following this, children from the indigenous groups First Nations, Métis, and Inuit were forcibly separated from their families and communities and placed in residential schools.
  • Funded by the federal government and administered by Christian churches, these schools were established in almost every province and area of the country, excluding Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and New Brunswick.
  • Although the Indian residential school system had been in operation in Canada since 1883, its roots can be traced back to the 1830s. Even before the Confederation in 1867, the Anglican Church had already introduced a residential school in Brantford, Ontario.
  • Moreover, since the mid-1600s, churches had begun to establish schools, particularly for indigenous peoples. The schools were mostly built in Eastern Canada at the time but eventually moved west due to colonisation.
  • Initially, industrial labour schools and agricultural schools were the primary subjects of the residential school system. Canada had 22 industrial schools and 39 residential schools in the 1900s.
  • By 1931, the country had 80 schools running. Although most of them were classified as residential schools, they also kept industrial work through gardens, barns, factories, and sewing rooms.
  • In 1996, the last residential school in Saskatchewan closed.
  • The residential school system also existed in other countries, including Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden primarily to colonise the indigenous peoples.

RECONCILIATION EFFORTS

  • Beginning in the 1960s, survivors of the residential school system have been coming forward. In fact, between the late 1980s and until the 1990s, indigenous groups began to file legal actions against the federal government and Christian churches due to the damage inflicted by the residential schools upon them, but several decades passed before Canada recognised and accepted these stories as truths.
  • In 1998, official talks on reconciliation began following the response of the Canadian government to the Royal Commission’s report concerning the Aboriginal Peoples. The response included a section about the Indian residential school system and a statement of reconciliation.
  • In the same year, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF) was founded. The foundation was given a $350 million grant to be utilised for community-based healing services for residential school survivors from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples.
  • In 2006, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement was signed by over 100 church bodies, the federal government, lawyers representing the survivors, the Assembly of First Nations, and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
  • As part of the settlement deal, the Aboriginal Healing Foundation received an additional $125 million in 2007. However, the Canadian government did not renew funding for the AHF in 2014. The foundation eventually closed a year later.

TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

  • On 1 June 2008, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada was formally established following the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement compensation package.
  • The commission aimed to document the history and the experiences of the indigenous peoples who were affected and harmed by the Indian residential school system.
  • Moreover, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a public apology to the residential school survivors on 11 June 2008.
  • In a rare show of unity, the representatives of the Liberal Party, the New Democratic Party, and the Bloc Québécois also delivered formal apologies, acknowledging the lasting impacts of the residential schools on the indigenous communities.
  • Survivors and representatives from indigenous groups from around the country were present in the House of Commons to witness the apology.
  • In addition, the TRC issued an executive summary of its results in June 2015, containing the 94 Calls to Action for reconciliation between Canadians and indigenous peoples.
  • These calls served as guidelines for organisations and ministries in the country to help the indigenous peoples in terms of child welfare, education, culture, language, health, and justice.
  • In December 2015, the commission’s work came to a close with the release of a multi-volume final report concluding that the Indian residential education system equated to cultural genocide.
  • As a result of the reconciliation, educational institutions, particularly elementary and secondary schools, made some important changes and incorporated the history of the residential school system in the curricula.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. In 2008, Canada established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in response to widespread litigation and the demand for justice and healing from survivors of the Indian residential school system, a network of boarding schools intended for indigenous peoples, which took them away from the influence of their own culture and forced them to adapt to the dominant Canadian culture.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Facts
  • Locating Canada
  • Find the Words
  • Complete the Information
  • Its Formation
  • Objectives
  • The Residential School System
  • Quote Analysis
  • Its Legacy
  • My Advocacy
  • In a Nutshell

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Link will appear as Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 10, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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