Residential Schools In Canada Essay

Residential schools are a shameful part of Canadian history and have had negative long-term effects on Indigenous Canadians. This investigation will be focusing on the long term socio-economic effects on the Indigenous population of Canada that are evident even today, such as substance abuse, the relationship between the criminal justice system and Indigenous people and communities and finally the financial situations and living conditions of people on reserves. An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children attended residential school. The schools were run by Christian missionaries, primarily Roman Catholics and Anglicans. This was to promote a Christian worldview, and to assimilate Indigenous people into Western culture. These schools were operated

This led to loss of identity, culture and tradition, which negatively effected Indigenous people; they often returned to their communities with no knowledge of how to survive and thrive in a traditional way. The education of children was of poor quality and was often forgone because the students needed to do work to support the school and keep it running. Arranged marriages were quite common, and this was to promote the ideas and worldview that was taught at residential schools. The speaking of Indigenous language and following of customs were strictly prohibited, which dramatically reduced Canadian Indigenous cultures because if an entire generation forgets it, it is gone. Furthermore, the treatment of students was very inhumane, children were punished very harshly, and the children were often verbally, physically, and sexually abused. Some of the punishments include corporeal punishments of many kinds (floggings were very common), imprisonment (being shackled together and locked in closets), demeaning tasks such as scrubbing the stairs with a toothbrush , or sitting outside in the snow for long periods of time. Many children died at these schools and were never buried properly. These demeaning, mentally scarring and inhumane tasks led to psychological problems later in life, and this manifested in