As we approach National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept 30, you may see or hear comments like these on social media or during conversations.
The truth about residential schools is important for every Canadian to learn. Without truth, there can be no reconciliation.
ALT Title: Confronting 4 Myths about Indian Residential Schools
ALT "Indian residential schools are a hoax. There's no proof anything bad happened." More than 4,000 deaths at the schools were documented by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Ongoing investigations into suspected gravesites may add to that number. Evidence about the history and harms of residential schools is abundant. The TRC cites thousands of government and church documents to describe the design and operation of the school system.
ALT Many Survivors have spoken out, written memoirs and testified about the reality of residential schools. Ignoring all this evidence is an act of wilful denial. The federal government and the churches who ran the schools have acknowledged and apologized for their many serious harms.
ALT "Most of the kids that died in the schools died from Tuberculosis. Everyone died from Tuberculosis back then." Children in residential schools had a higher death rate than Canadian soldiers fighting in the Second World War. No school system should be deadlier than a war zone. Indigenous children died at a rate of 2-5 times higher than non-Indigenous children from Tuberculosis and other diseases.