Residential School System
The Canadian residential school system consisted of a number of schools for Aboriginal children, operated during the 20th century by churches of various denominations (about sixty per cent by Roman Catholics, and thirty per cent by the Protestants) and funded under the Indian Act by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, a branch of the federal government. The schools' purpose was, according to the Indian Act, to "civilize" aboriginals, teach them English or French, convert them to Christianity, and end their traditional ways of life.
A great number of First Nation, Métis and Inuit students suffered sexual abuse and cultural assimilation in the residential school system. The incidents mark one of the greatest cultural tragedies in Canadian history.
Read more about this topic: Education In Canada
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