UN expert urges reconciliation with the survivors of Indian Residential Schools in Canada

Photo: OHCHR

In his capacity as UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Mr. Francisco Calí Tzay recently concluded his official visit to Canada, where he was “dismayed and saddened” by the testimonies of the survivors of the Indian Residential School system. From the 1870s to 1997, indigenous children including First Nations, Métis and Inuit were separated from their families and forced into these government-funded schools where they were physically and sexually abused.

The negative legacies of the Residential School system can still be seen in Canada today. Intergenerational trauma, structural racial discrimination, and many other consequences are manifested in the disproportionately high number of indigenous children in the welfare system, indigenous people in federal prisons, and indigenous women and girls among murder victims and missing persons. The latter issue escalated into a crisis during the pandemic and remains unresolved. 

Canada must address colonial legacies in order to achieve accountability for past crimes, says the Special Rapporteur. He recognized the progress already made as well as the challenges ahead. He called on the government of Canada to fully implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 2015 with respect to the Residential Schools.

The Special Rapporteur’s full statement can be found on the OHCHR website.

Author: Laura Vízi