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Who We Are › Indigenous Rights
What is the significance of the residential school system in Canada?
- A system that forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families and caused lasting harm; the government formally apologised in 2008
- A successful program to educate Indigenous children in modern skills
- A school system run by churches to promote bilingualism
- A program to integrate immigrant children into Canadian society
Why this is the correct answer
Canada's residential school system, which operated from the 1870s to 1996, forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families and placed them in government-funded, church-run schools aimed at eliminating Indigenous languages, cultures and identities. Survivors suffered physical and psychological abuse, and thousands of children died in these institutions. Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologised on behalf of Canada in 2008.