Settler-Indigenous Relations in Canada
Treaties, Residential Schools, and Truth and Reconciliation
Indigenous history must also be discussed in the context of relationships between European settlers and Indigenous nations. This history can often be dificult, but it is critical to understand the space that we live and work within in the present day.
Please take some time to watch the following video produced by the Orange Shirt Day Society on the timeline of the history of Indigenous peoples within Canada (Orange Shirt Day Society, 2021). There is a specific focus on the residential school’s system within this video and therefore viewers should be aware that some of the content can be difficult to watch and to use their discretion when viewing.
Note
It is important to note that the language used in the video is sometimes outdated and includes terms which are not appropriate to use in the modern day, however, they are used in this video for accuracy within its historical context.
Additionally, this video is not a comprehensive video of Indigenous history in Canada, but simply a representation of some major interactions between Indigenous peoples and colonizers on this land. Indigenous nations are diverse, and one experience will not express the multitude of views on this relationship.
Canadian Residential School History
A brief history of Canada and the Residential School System imposed on the Indigenous people of Canada. Timeline from early European contact through to the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2010. (27 minutes)
Reflection Exercise
Now that you have watched this video by the Orange Shirt Day Society, it is important to take some time to reflect. Take some time to sit down and reflect on the impacts of government policy and residential schools on Indigenous peoples across Canada.
- What is the impact which this has on us in the present day?
- What roles and responsibilities do we have in the process of reconciliation?
Achieving reconciliation is like climbing a mountain – we must proceed a step at a time. It will not always be easy. There will be storms, there will be obstacles, but we cannot allow ourselves to be daunted by the task because our goal is Just and it is also necessary. Remember, reconciliation is yours to achieve. We owe it to each other to build a Canada based on our shared future, a future of healing and trust.
Former Sen. Murray Sinclair (Ottawa, 2015)
