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Indigenous Topics

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR)


National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

For over 150 years, residential schools operated in Canada. Over 150,000 children attended these schools. Many never returned. Often underfunded and overcrowded, these schools were used as a tool of assimilation by the Canadian state and churches. Thousands of students suffered physical and sexual abuse. All suffered from loneliness and a longing to be home with their families. The damages inflicted by these schools continue to this day. In 2009, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada began a multi-year process to listen to Survivors, communities and others affected by the Residential School system. The resulting collection of statements, documents and other materials now forms the heart of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

 

On the NCTR homepage, you will find links to...

Specific residential schools with information on...
  • Location on a Canadian Map
  • Duration of operation
  • Overseeing organization
  • Alternative names association to the school
  • A summary of school operations
  • Historical documents such as reports
  • Photographs
Summaries of organizations who administered Residential Schools
  • Identification of churches and government entities 
Partial student records
Reports on reconciliation efforts including...
  • The Truth and Reconciliation Report calls to action
  • Survivor interviews
  • National roundtable discussions
  • On going initiatives and activities
  • Research publications

Note terms and concepts found on this site to continue research efforts in other broader databases.