The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) has published its findings from an extensive examination of Canada’s policy of placing aboriginal children in residential schools, removing the children from their families and communities. In its examination, the TRC has determined the actions of the Canadian government to constitute cultural genocide. “Canada separated children from their parents, sending them to residential schools," says the report. “This was done not to educate them, but primarily to break their link to their culture and identity.” In this executive summary, the TRC provides an introduction to the use of residential schools for aboriginal children in Canada, presents an overview of the Commission’s activities, describes the history and legacy of these residential schools, and outlines the challenges of reconciliation, including 94 recommendations, or “calls to action” for reconciliation in the field of Child Welfare among many others.
