The Presbyterian Church in Canada & The Truth and Reconciliation Commission

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The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s (PCC) involvement in the Indian Residential Schools system spanned almost 90 years, from the mid 1880’s until 1969 when the schools became the full responsibility of the Federal Government. In total, the denomination operated 11 schools, 9 of which were transferred to the United Church of Canada when it was formed in 1925.

Education was an early focus of the PCC’s outreach to Aboriginal people in Canada. This began with day schools being established on a number of reserves but by the early 1880s, the Federal Government was replacing day schools on reserves with a system of off-reserve residential schools. The PCC agreed with this focus and began in partnership with the Federal Government to establish and operate these schools. In general the Church operated the schools and the Federal Government provided funding and oversight.

Assimilation was the primary reason behind the establishment of these schools, they were not voluntary. The historical evidence is that the Indigenous Nations preferred the day school on-reserve system. As a result of an amendment to the Indian Act in 1920, it became the law for First Nations children to attend residential school – before the amendment it was voluntary – many of the schools were very short of students .

In 1907 Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce (1853 –1932) chief medical officer for the Federal government released a report highlighting the incredibly high death rates (often due to tuberculosis) and poor health conditions in the residential schools. This report was released to the Members of Parliament in November of 1907 and an article on it appeared in the Evening Citizen (now the Ottawa Citizen). Dr Bryce’s report was not well received and he was fired.

By the mid 1980’s that there was a growing recognition and awakening in the PCC of its part in the painful legacy of church, government and First Nations – including its involvement in the Residential Schools. In 1989 a national Committee on Native Ministry was formed and in 1993 a residential Schools working group. Draft work on an apology to Aboriginal peoples was begun in early 1991 and in 1994 the PCC adopted the Church’s confession which was formally presented at the Forks National Site in Winnipeg in 1994. Phil Fontaine, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, received it on behalf of First Nations people.

In 2007 “the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement” came into effect. The parties to this agreement were the Government of Canada, the churches that ran residential schools, Indigenous organizations and representatives of Survivors of residential schools (former students). This Agreement included

  • compensation for those who attended a residential school/Common Experience Payment;

  • the Independent Assessment Process (IAP) which would receive and adjudicate claims of physical and or sexual abuse from a claimant;

  • funds to support commemoration ceremonies;

  • health and healing services (provided a system of compensation to former students of the residential schools)

This agreement also lead to the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).

The PCC is part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. When the TRC held its National Events, the PCC provided financial support for the event as well as for Survivors and their families to attend the National Events.. The PCC participated in every National Event of the TRC, except the one in Inuvik. In Inuvik, The PCC was represented by The Rev. Stephen Kendall, Principal Clerk and by John Constant, an Indigenous person studying for the ministry. (Inuvik was the smallest TRC National Event and provided very few hotel rooms.)

The TRC released its Calls to Action (findings) in June 2015 and the full report can be found at www.trc.ca. Today the church is working to live out its commitment to walking into the future alongside the Aboriginal people in Canada (First Nations and Aboriginal People of our country by living out the Calls to Action from that report.

For a more complete document please look to the article, A Brief Administrative History of the Residential Schools and the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s Healing and Reconciliation Efforts. It can be found at: www.presbyteriancarchives.ca