Another View
Perspectives
Residential schools certainly had long-lasting and far-reaching impact on Canada's First Nations. To see their children taken to a strange place and returning with anger and hatred for their own people must have been heart-rending for parents. But what about the people who established these schools and worked there? What was their experience? What were their motives?
Many were trying to help the Native people to adjust to the new, dominant culture of Canada. They saw people who lived a nomadic lifestyle, where their survival depended on weather and the success of the hunt, and without the skills they believed were essential for survival: reading, writing, farming, and using technology.
What's your Perspective?
In today's world, we tend to believe that all cultures are equal but different. We do not necessarily assume one culture was more primitive or inferior to another. Yet in the days of our ancestors, people did not have those understandings. Were the people who worked in the residential schools trying to destroy native cultures? Or were they doing what they thought was right at the time? History shows us that we do not always know the best solution to any problem.
Current Issues
In any event, the actions of the government towards the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people of Canada destroyed language, culture, and their family ties. It led at first to the loss of culture and then the loss of identity. Because of residential schools, treaties, related legislation, and the Indian Act, many native bands lost their independence and became financially dependent on the government. The legacy of imperialism for Canada's Aboriginal people is still a recurring issue for all Canadians.