Residential Schools

Coming May 26, 2021: A podcast series about the history of multiculturalism in Canada. A Place to Belong: A History of Multiculturalism in Canada is a five-part podcast series that aims to commemorate the people who make up Canada as we know it today.

In the late 1940s, a Special Joint Committee created by the Government of Canada found that Indian Residential Schools weren’t working. Residential schools across the country were ordered to be closed and their students be transferred to provincial schools. But then, over a decade later, two new residential schools opened in Inuvik, Northwest Territories: Grollier Hall and Stringer Hall. In this episode, Dinjii Zhuh historian Dr. Crystal Gail Fraser, an assistant professor in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native Studies, explains why the government ignored those recommendations, and what that meant for institutionalized students. Survivors Piita Irniq and Abraham Anghik Ruben give first-hand accounts of life in Northern residential schools. Hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais, this is “Residential Schools: Inuit Experiences.”

The Métis are sometimes described as the “forgotten people,” particularly when it comes to the residential school experience. In this episode, Dr. Tricia Logan, a Métis historian and researcher at the Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC, describes the complex and nuanced experiences of Métis students within the system. Hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais, this is “Residential Schools: Métis Experiences.”

Gordon’s Indian Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan shut its doors in 1996. It was the last federally run residential school in Canada. More than two decades later, the legacy of what went on behind those doors continues to be felt by Survivors, their families, and communities. In this episode, University of Manitoba’s Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair describes the effects of residential schools on First Nations peoples. Survivors Riley Burns and Ed Bitternose recount their personal experiences at Gordon’s. Hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais, this is “Residential Schools: First Nations Experiences.”

Coming March 3, 2020: A three part podcast series hosted by Shaneen Robinson-Desjarlais about the history of residential schools in Canada. The Residential Schools podcast series aims to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools, and honour the stories of Survivors, families, and communities.