Peter Harrison - Speaking My Truth

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If so, then the TRC is well placed to face them head-on and to correct therecord in a definitive way.Dispelling the Ignorance of Typical CommentsThis happened long ago, so why bring it up now?Those few who are aware that residential schools had existed at alloften have the perception that they were a phenomenon only of the latenineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It comes as a complete surpriseto them that even though many schools closed in the 1960s and 1970s, thelast school (Gordon Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan) did notclose until 1996. (In fact, the youngest recipient of the common experiencepayment was only 17 years old and was present on the floor of the Houseof Commons for the Prime Minister’s apology.) This misperception is animpediment to fruitful dialogue because it is easier to dismiss somethingthat happened in the past than to face the fact that over 80,000 formerstudents are still alive, even though their number is continually decliningas older Survivors die. Perhaps as individual stories begin to emergefrom the activities of the TRC, and as the tremendously powerful work oforganizations such as the Legacy of Hope Foundation become known, civilsociety will realize that Indian residential schools are as much a part ofrecent history as they are of the distant past.The churches were only doing what the government asked them to do …The residential schools were sponsored and funded by the Government ofCanada and were operated by the mainline churches (Catholic, Anglican,Presbyterian, and United). A total of 132 of these schools 4 are recognizedpursuant to the Settlement Agreement (this number could increase as appealsof the schools listed are considered). As the TRC grapples with the legacy ofthe schools, it will be important to clarify who was responsible for what. Whilethe government policy was clearly one of assimilation of Aboriginal childreninto the dominant society, how this was undertaken was largely a matterfor those who administered the schools. Strict discipline and acceptanceof abusive practices in individual institutions and lack of protection fromabusers are issues that will need to be aired if reconciliation is to take place.The TRC will need to hear directly from government and administrators of theinstitutions, or their representatives, in order to probe these matters.The policies were well-meaning and in tune with their times …It is easy to look back in history and to justify certain actions because that wasthe way things were done then and because policy-makers were well-meaning.This approach is too simplistic and requires much further analysis. Providing140 | <strong>Peter</strong> <strong>Harrison</strong>
children with an education is undoubtedly a laudable objective of any society,but doing it in a way that demolishes cultures and demeans the children issurely unacceptable at any time. Add to this the physical and sexual abusesuffered by many students at the residential schools, then it has to be asked:Was this ever acceptable as the way things were done? Certainly not! A role ofthe TRC should be to have this question answered in a fulsome way.They got an education, did they not?This is perhaps the most common reaction to the question of residentialschools. It is usually mixed with the sentiment: complaining about theexperience in the schools is somehow a lack of gratitude. This reaction isprobably the most insidious because it continues to be based on the perceivedsuperiority of the dominant society.Many former students did get an education, and some of the schools havebeen recognized as having played a major role in supporting the developmentof Aboriginal leadership throughout the decades. But even where successwas evident and in cases where former students are of the view that theireducation at a residential school was a key to this success, the question is notabout the what of the education process, but about the how.Sadly, many students at the schools got little or no education of a lastingnature, and the quality of the education many received was inferior tothat of non-Aboriginal people. Even worse, being forced to live for manyyears in an institution and in an environment where abuse of all kinds wasrampant often led to learned behaviour of a negative kind. The prevalenceof sexual predators, and what they did to little children, is perhaps themost terrible of the impacts. This education continues to have an impact onlater generations—the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildrenof Survivors. The TRC will be instrumental in shedding light on how suchlearned behaviour has led to challenges within Aboriginal communities andhow it has affected the condition of Aboriginal peoples generally.But everyone got the strap in those days…It seems that everyone has a tale to tell about how they were punished atschool for various infractions. Somehow, this is seen as a justification for theabuse that occurred within residential schools. While corporal punishmentmay have been more prevalent in past years than it is today, the scale of suchpunishment at residential schools was beyond any level of acceptability. Thelawyers and adjudicators refer to the standards of the time in determininglevels of abuse. The TRC will hear many stories from Survivors that will dispelthe myth of the strap because the abuse meted out often far exceeded any ofResponse, Responsibility, and Renewal | 141
Page 1 and 2: Peter HarrisonResponse, From Respon
Page 3 and 4: Dispelling Ignorance of Residential
Page 5: Toward ReconciliationThere are many
Page 9 and 10: important) the indifferent—while
Page 11: “How would you feel if your child

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