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	Indian Residential Schools Agreement in Principal: FAQs CBC News November 25, 2005 http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/aboriginals/residentialschools.html What is a residential school? The Canadian government believed it was responsible for educating and caring for the country's aboriginal people. It thought their best chance for success was to learn English and adopt Christianity and Canadian customs. Ideally, they would pass their adopted lifestyle on to their children, and native traditions would diminish, or be completely abolished in a few generations. The Canadian government developed a policy called "aggressive assimilation" to be taught at church-run, government-funded industrial schools, later called residential schools. The government felt children were easier to mould than adults, and the concept of a boarding school was the best way to prepare them for life in mainstream society. Residential schools were federally run, under the Department of Indian Affairs. Attendance was mandatory. Agents were employed by the government to ensure all native children attended. Eleven hundred students initially attended 69 schools across the country. In 1931, at the peak of the residential school system, there were about 80 schools operating in Canada. They were in every territory and province except Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. There were a total of about 130 schools from the earliest in the 19th century to the last, which closed in 1996. Why was there a call for redress? Residential schools were established with the assumption that aboriginal culture was unable to adapt to a rapidly modernizing society. It was believed that native children could be successful if they assimilated into mainstream Canadian society by adopting Christianity and speaking English or French. Students were discouraged from speaking their first language or practising native traditions. If they were caught, they would experience severe punishment. Throughout the years, students lived in substandard conditions and endured physical and emotional abuse. There are also many allegations of sexual abuse. Students at residential schools rarely had opportunities to see examples of normal family life. They were in school 10 months a year, away from their parents. All correspondence from the children was written in English, which many parents couldn't read. Brothers and sisters at the same school rarely saw each other, as all activities were segregated by gender. When students returned to the reserve, they often found they didn't belong. They didn't have the skills to help their parents, and became ashamed of their native heritage. The skills taught at the schools were generally substandard; many found it hard to function in an urban setting. The aims of assimilation meant devastation for those who were subjected to years of mistreatment. In 1990, aboriginal leader Phil Fontaine called for the churches involved to acknowledge the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse endured by students at the schools. In 1991 the government convened a Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Many people told the commission about their residential school experiences, and its 1996 report recommended a separate public inquiry into residential schools. That recommendation was never followed. What are some highlights of the agreement in principal proposed by the federal government? Details of a proposal include Common Experience Payments for all residential schools students who were alive as of May 30, 2005. Former residential school students will get an initial payout of $10,000, plus $3000 for each year they attended school. Acceptance of the Common Experience Payment would release the government and churches of all further liability relating to the Indian residential school experience, except in cases of sexual abuse and serious incidents of physical abuse. Under the proposal's guidelines, about 86,000 are eligible for redress. Is there anything for older aboriginal Canadians? Former residential school students 65 years old and older can receive an advance payment of $8,000. What is the Independent Assessment Process? An Independent Assessment Process, or IAP, is intended to address sexual abuse cases and serious incidents of physical abuse. A former student who accepts the Common Experience Payment can pursue a further claim for sexual or serious physical abuse. What are some other proposal highlights? The government will continue to fund a Commemoration initiative, which consists of events, projects and memorials on a national and community level. Ten million dollars will be invested in an existing Commemoration program. The Aboriginal Healing Foundation will receive an additional investment of $125 million. What is the Truth and Reconciliation process? The Truth and Reconciliation process is an initiative meant to raise awareness of the impact on human dignity caused by the residential school experience. The goal is to create a shared narrative of former students and their families in a culturally appropriate environment. The approach is known as a form of "restorative justice," which differs from the customary adversarial and retributive justice. The truth and reconciliation process seeks to heal relations between opposing sides by uncovering facts, distinguishing truth from lies, and allowing for acknowledgement, appropriate public mourning, forgiveness and healing. Sixty million dollars will be allocated to the creation of a Truth and Reconciliation process.
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