Review of designations related to Residential Schools: National historic events

Founded by Marguerite d’Youville in 1737 for the purpose of helping the poor, the Grey Nuns of Montréal was the first women’s religious community in Canada whose work focused on a wide range of social services over a vast territory. Over the course of its history, the congregation established numerous hospitals, orphanages, hospices, long-term care facilities, respite centres, and teaching establishments throughout Quebec, Ontario, western and northern Canada, and the northern United States, and founded five separate congregations.

The congregation made important contributions to the history of healthcare in Canada, establishing over time an extensive network of healthcare institutions throughout the country. In 1747, the Grey Nuns took over the management of the Hôpital Général de Montréal, and by 1927 administered 22 hospitals. In 1844, four Grey Nuns relocated to what would become Manitoba, making the congregation the first Roman Catholic women’s congregation in the Northwest. The small house they built to care for the sick in St. Boniface in 1871 was the foundation for what would become the first hospital in western Canada. They also established early hospitals in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Through this work in healthcare, members of the congregation had broad responsibility and were able to demonstrate leadership and participate in society in ways that might otherwise have been closed to them as women.

Connection to the Residential School System

Beginning in the 1860s, the Grey Nuns supervised children, taught, and oversaw domestic work at 21 Indian Residential Schools, in most cases working with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. These schools, funded by the federal government, were located in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

Catholic religious congregations ran the majority of residential schools and were essential to their day-to-day operation. In doing so, their intention was to convert Indigenous children and assimilate them to Euro-Canadian culture. The residential school system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government for over a century as part of a broad set of assimilation efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress their histories. The accounts of residential school survivors provide critical insight into the devastating experiences children had at residential schools, which included poor living conditions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, hard labour, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and forced separation from their families and communities. These experiences had long-term impacts not only on survivors, but also on their families and communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada described the residential schools as a form of cultural genocide.

List of Residential Schools

Alternate residential school names are indicated in brackets.

Ontario

St. Mary’s
St. Margaret’s (Fort Frances)

Manitoba

Pine Creek
Assiniboia

Saskatchewan

Muscowequan
Beauval (Île-à-la-Crosse)
Qu’Appelle

Alberta

Sacred Heart (Brocket)
St. Mary’s (Blood)
Holy Angels (Fort Chipewyan)
Lac la Biche
St. Albert (Youville)
Blue Quills (Sacred Heart)

Northwest Territories

Fort Providence Boarding Home (Sacred Heart)
Fort Resolution (St. Joseph’s)
Aklavik (Immaculate Conception)
Fort Smith (Breynat Hall)
Inuvik Roman Catholic (Grollier Hall)
Fort Simpson Roman Catholic (Lapointe Hall)
Fort Smith (Grandin College)

Nunavut

St. Mary’s (Turquetil Hall)

As missionaries and explorers, seigneurs and educators, the Jesuits have played a key role in shaping Canada’s history since the early 17th century. Jesuits were at the forefront of French and Roman Catholic missionary endeavours among Indigenous Peoples through the 17th and 18th centuries. Their writings about their experiences and activities as missionaries and about the Indigenous Peoples they encountered were compiled as the Jesuit Relations, and have since become an important historical record. In 1635 they founded at Québec the first college in what would become Canada. After the fall of New France, the British authorities forbade the recruitment of members into the Order and by 1800 it had essentially ceased to exist in Canada.

Invited to return in 1842, the Jesuits focused their efforts on education. In 1848 in Montréal, they established Collège Ste-Marie, and out of this grew three colleges, Loyola (1869), St-Ignace (1927), and Jean-de-Brébeuf (1928). They also established Campion College in Regina (1917), St. Paul’s College in Winnipeg (1926), and Regis College in Toronto (1930), and from 1940 to 1970 administered what is now St. Mary’s University in Halifax.

Connection to the Residential School System

The order established and operated one Indian Residential School in Ontario, which began as Wikwemikong Industrial Boys School in 1878, and was relocated to Spanish, Ontario in 1913, where it remained open until 1958.

Catholic religious congregations ran the majority of residential schools and were essential to their day-to-day operation. In doing so, their intention was to convert Indigenous children and assimilate them to Euro-Canadian culture. The residential school system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government for over a century as part of a broad set of assimilation efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress their histories. The accounts of residential school survivors provide critical insight into the devastating experiences children had at residential schools, which included poor living conditions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, hard labour, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and forced separation from their families and communities. These experiences had long-term impacts not only on survivors, but also on their families and communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada described the residential schools as a form of cultural genocide.

Since their arrival in Canada in 1841, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate preached, taught, and conducted missions from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and in the far North. As part of their evangelizing efforts, Oblates studied Indigenous languages, published works about Indigenous communities, and translated religious texts into Indigenous languages, creating a substantial literature and making contributions to the study of linguistics. They also ministered to non-Indigenous Catholic newcomers in the west and promoted French Canadian settlement.

Connection to the Residential School System

The Oblates played an influential and proactive role in the development and implementation of the Indian Residential School system. They operated 48 residential schools, across most provinces and territories, comprising the majority of the Roman Catholic residential schools in Canada. These priests served as principals at the schools, controlling management and finances, overseeing staff including Oblates priests and Sisters from other religious congregations. The order used its strong position in the system to try to influence the government’s residential school policy, including, at one point, arguing against the closure of residential schools. Its involvement lasted until the federal government formally took over the administration of residential schools across southern Canada in 1969.

Catholic religious congregations ran the majority of residential schools and were essential to their day-to-day operation. In doing so, their intention was to convert Indigenous children and assimilate them to Euro-Canadian culture. The residential school system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government for over a century as part of a broad set of assimilation efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress their histories. The accounts of residential school survivors provide critical insight into the devastating experiences children had at residential schools, which included poor living conditions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, hard labour, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and forced separation from their families and communities. These experiences had long-term impacts not only on survivors, but also on their families and communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada described the residential schools as a form of cultural genocide.

List of Residential Schools

Alternate residential school names are indicated in brackets.

British Columbia

Cariboo (St. Joseph’s, William’s Lake)
Christie (Clayquot, Kakawis)
Cranbrook (St. Eugene, Kootenay)
Kamloops
Kuper Island
Lejac (Fraser Lake)
Lower Post
St. Mary’s (Mission)
Sechelt

Alberta

Blue Quills (Saddle Lake, Sacred Heart)
Crowfoot (St. Joseph’s, St. Trinité)
Desmarais (Wabasca Lake, St. Martins, Wabasca Roman Catholic)
Ermineskin
Fort Vermillion (St. Henry’s)
Holy Angels (Fort Chipewyan, École des Saints-Anges)
Joussard (St. Bruno’s)
Sacred Heart (Brocket)
St. Mary’s (Blood, Immaculate Conception)

Saskatchewan

Beauval (Lac la Plonge, Île-à-la-Crosse)
Fort Pelly
Lebret (Qu’Appelle, Whitecalf, St. Paul’s High School)
Merival (Cowessess, Crooked Lake)
Muscowequan (Lestock, Muskowekwan, Touchwood)
St. Anthony’s (Onion Lake Roman Catholic, Sacred Heart)
St. Michael’s (Duck Lake)
St. Philip’s
Thunderchild (Delmas)

Manitoba

Assiniboia (Winnipeg)
Cross Lake (St. Joseph’s, Norway House, Notre Dame Hostel, Jack River Hostel)
Fort Alexander (Pine Falls)
Clearwater (Guy Hill, Clearwater Lake)
Pine Creek (Camperville)
Sandy Bay
Norway House Roman Catholic

Ontario

Fort Frances (St. Margaret’s)
McIntosh
St. Anne’s (Fort Albany)
St. Mary’s (Kenora)

Quebec

Amos (Saint-Marc-de-Figuery)
Fort George (St. Joseph’s Mission, Residence Couture, Sainte-Thérèse-de-l’Énfant-Jésus)
Pointe Bleue
Sept-Îles (Seven Islands, Notre Dame, Maliotenam)

Nova Scotia

Shubenacadie (St. Anne’s)

Yukon

Coudert Hall (Whitehorse Hostel/Student Residence)

Northwest Territories

Fort Providence Boarding Home (Sacred Heart)
Fort Resolution Residence (St. Joseph’s)
Inuvik Roman Catholic (Grollier Hall)

Nunavut

Chesterfield Inlet (Turquetil Hall)

The Sisters of Charity of Ottawa, also known as the Grey Nuns of the Cross, began in 1845, when four Sisters of Charity of Montréal came to Bytown, now Ottawa. Under the leadership of their foundress Mother Élisabeth Bruyère, they established charitable, healthcare, and educational institutions that included the city’s first general hospital and first bilingual school. In 1854, the congregation became autonomous, and later expanded across North America and overseas, becoming particularly active in the preservation of the language and cultures of French-speaking minorities in North America. Through their work, members of the congregation had broad responsibility and were able to demonstrate leadership and participate in society in ways that might otherwise have been closed to them as women.

In varied fields of endeavour, the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa worked to meet professional standards, for example, achieving government-recognized certification for its teachers, gaining affiliation with institutions, such as the University of Ottawa, and founding the Youville School of Nursing, which accepted its first lay students in 1896.

Connection to the Residential School System

Beginning in 1903, members of this congregation supervised the children, taught, and oversaw the domestic tasks at two residential schools, working with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. These schools, funded by the federal government, were St. Anne’s in Ontario and Fort George (École Ste Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jésus) in Quebec.

Catholic religious congregations ran the majority of residential schools and were essential to their day-to-day operation. In doing so, their intention was to convert Indigenous children and assimilate them to Euro-Canadian culture. The residential school system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government for over a century as part of a broad set of assimilation efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress their histories. The accounts of residential school survivors provide critical insight into the devastating experiences children had at residential schools, which included poor living conditions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, hard labour, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and forced separation from their families and communities. These experiences had long-term impacts not only on survivors, but also on their families and communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada described the residential schools as a form of cultural genocide.

The Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Halifax began in 1849, when four Sisters of Charity came to Halifax from New York. This congregation was the first English-speaking congregation of Catholic women religious to arrive in Canada. They established a wide variety of educational, health care and social services missions, and, beginning in 1894, expanded from their base in Nova Scotia to elsewhere in Canada, the United States, and overseas to teach and to care for orphans and the sick. By 1913 the congregation reported directly to Rome rather than to local church authorities. Through their work, members of the congregation had broad responsibility and were able to demonstrate leadership and participate in society in ways that might otherwise have been closed to them as women.

In Halifax, they established and ran several schools, including Mount Saint Vincent Academy, which was founded in 1873 as a women’s academy, became a college in 1914, and then in 1925 gained the right to grant its own degrees, becoming the first independent college for women in the Commonwealth.

Connection to the Residential School System

Beginning in the late 1920s, members of this congregation supervised the children, taught, and oversaw the domestic tasks at two Indian Residential Schools, working with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. These schools, funded by the federal government were Shubenacadie in Nova Scotia and Cranbrook (St. Eugene’s) in British Columbia.

Catholic religious congregations ran the majority of residential schools and were essential to their day-to-day operation. In doing so, their intention was to convert Indigenous children and assimilate them to Euro-Canadian culture. The residential school system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government for over a century as part of a broad set of assimilation efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress their histories. The accounts of residential school survivors provide critical insight into the devastating experiences children had at residential schools, which included poor living conditions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, hard labour, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and forced separation from their families and communities. These experiences had long-term impacts not only on survivors, but also on their families and communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada described the residential schools as a form of cultural genocide.

As part of the religious revival that swept through Quebec in the 1840s, women established a number of religious communities focused on education, healthcare and social service. In 1843, Madame Emilie Gamelin, founded the Sisters of Providence in Montréal to provide care to the poor, the sick, and the elderly.

The new congregation embarked on an ambitious program of institution building in Canada, the United States, and around the world, serving in approximately 100 establishments including schools, hospitals, orphanages, and specialized asylums, and becoming known for their work with people with hearing and speech impairments and with people suffering from mental illness. Through their work, members of the congregation had broad responsibility and were able to demonstrate leadership and participate in society in ways that might otherwise have been closed to them as women.

Connection to the Residential School System

Beginning in the 1890s, the congregation supervised the children, taught, and oversaw domestic tasks at nine Indian Residential Schools, working with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. These schools, funded by the federal government, include: St. Eugene’s (Kootenay) IRS in British Columbia, and St. Joseph’s (Crowfoot) IRS, St. Augustine’s (Smoky River) IRS, St. Martin’s (Desmarais) IRS, St. Bruno’s (Joussard) IRS, St. Henry’s (Fort Vermillion) IRS, St. Bernard’s (Grouard) IRS, Assumption (Hay Lakes) IRS, and St. Francois Xavier (Sturgeon Lake) IRS, all in Alberta.

Catholic religious congregations ran the majority of residential schools and were essential to their day-to-day operation. In doing so, their intention was to convert Indigenous children and assimilate them to Euro-Canadian culture. The residential school system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government for over a century as part of a broad set of assimilation efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress their histories. The accounts of residential school survivors provide critical insight into the devastating experiences children had at residential schools, which included poor living conditions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, hard labour, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and forced separation from their families and communities. These experiences had long-term impacts not only on survivors, but also on their families and communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada described the residential schools as a form of cultural genocide.

In 1850, Esther Sureau, dit Blondin (known as Mother Marie-Anne) founded in Vaudreuil, Canada East, a Roman Catholic women’s community that would become the Sisters of Saint Anne. The congregation focused on the education of rural girls and boys and opened schools in the countryside around Montréal, then spread to other regions of Quebec, the United States, and overseas, where they were involved in education, caring for the sick and poor, and in mission work. Through their work, members of the congregation had broad responsibility and were able to demonstrate leadership and participate in society in ways that might otherwise have been closed to them as women.

In 1858, four Sisters went west to Victoria, British Columbia, to help with the education of both Indigenous and European immigrant children, becoming the first Roman Catholic women’s congregation to establish schools on what would become Canada’s west coast. The Victoria-based Sisters of Saint Ann became a separate entity, or province, of the congregation and operated schools and hospitals.

Connection to the Residential School System

Beginning in the 1860s, the Victoria-based Sisters of St. Ann supervised the children, taught, and oversaw the domestic tasks at four Indian Residential Schools in British Columbia, working with male religious congregations. These schools, funded by the federal government, were Kamloops IRS, Lower Post IRS, St. Mary’s (Mission) IRS, and Kuper Island IRS.

Catholic religious congregations ran the majority of residential schools and were essential to their day-to-day operation. In doing so, their intention was to convert Indigenous children and assimilate them to Euro-Canadian culture. The residential school system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government for over a century as part of a broad set of assimilation efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress their histories. The accounts of residential school survivors provide critical insight into the devastating experiences children had at residential schools, which included poor living conditions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, hard labour, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and forced separation from their families and communities. These experiences had long-term impacts not only on survivors, but also on their families and communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada described the residential schools as a form of cultural genocide.

As part of the religious revival that swept through Quebec in the 1840s, women established a number of religious communities focussing on education and social service. In 1853, Edwige Buisson and three companions formed a community that would become the Congregation of the Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, committed to the education of young girls. The community spread throughout North America and established missions in Ecuador, Brazil, and Japan. Through their work, members of the congregation had broad responsibility and were able to demonstrate leadership and participate in society in ways that might otherwise have been closed to them as women.

Connection to the Residential School System

Beginning in 1894, members of the congregation supervised the children, taught, and oversaw domestic tasks at three Indian Residential Schools that were funded by the federal government. For several decades, the congregation administered these schools, until this role was taken over by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The schools were St. Anthony’s (Onion Lake) IRS and Thunderchild (Delmas/St. Henri) IRS in Saskatchewan, and Ermineskin IRS in Alberta.

Catholic religious congregations ran the majority of residential schools and were essential to their day-to-day operation. In doing so, their intention was to convert Indigenous children and assimilate them to Euro-Canadian culture. The residential school system was imposed on Indigenous Peoples by the federal government for over a century as part of a broad set of assimilation efforts to destroy Indigenous cultures and identities and suppress their histories. The accounts of residential school survivors provide critical insight into the devastating experiences children had at residential schools, which included poor living conditions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, hard labour, the deliberate suppression of their cultures and languages, and forced separation from their families and communities. These experiences had long-term impacts not only on survivors, but also on their families and communities. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada described the residential schools as a form of cultural genocide.