The Anglican Church of Canada has launched a website of information and resources to support the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on residential schools. The TRC has a mandate to learn and share the truth about what happened in residential schools and to assist all Canadians in the ongoing process of healing and reconciliation. Currently the TRC is hosting a Northern National Event in Inuvik, N.W.T., June 28 to July 1.
From the 1870s until 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children attended 130 residential schools across Canada. The schools were funded by the government and run by Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and United churches. The Anglican Church of Canada administered about three dozen residential schools at various times between 1820 and 1969.
In 1993, then-Primate Archbishop Michael Peers apologized for the Anglican Church of Canada’s involvement in the schools. Since then, leadership at the Anglican Church of Canada has worked to address the legacy of residential schools in various ways, including through a healing fund, projects for Indigenous self-determination, and advocacy. This website is one part of this larger work towards right relations.
The Truth and Reconciliation website includes
- Detailed histories of Anglican residential schools
- Videos from the Primate and National Indigenous Anglican Bishop stating why the Truth and Reconciliation Commission matters to them
- Worship resources that encourage prayerful support of truth and reconciliation
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