Residential Schools In Canada

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From 1884 to 1996, it was required of Native children to attend residential schools due to the laws of the Indian Act. Sponsored by the government and established by Catholic churches, the school's main goal was to educate and convert Aboriginal children; essentially forcing them to replace all of their original values and beliefs. Not only did those schools result in at least 3,200 deaths, but also around 150,000 children being taken away from their families. More often than not, the students experienced many forms of abuse and were often punished if they were caught speaking their first language.

In 2006, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Act was approved by the Government of Canada. The Canadian Government hoped to redress the wrongs that came from residential schools, so they established a multi-billion dollar fund to help former students on their road to recovery. Several different support groups, health care centres, and organisations were introduced as well. In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper even publicly apologised for the harm we've caused the Indigenous peoples. While some survivors from the incident may never fully recover from their traumatic past, the IRSSA has done all it can by effectively addressing the consequences of residential schools.
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Every former student would receive $10,000 for the first year of schooling and $3,000 for each subsequent year after that. By the end of 2012, an estimated 98 percent of former students received their pay, meaning about $1.6 billion was approved for payment. While that method of making amends might not have helped their emotional well-being, it would have definitely benefited them