Residential Schools: The Legal Changes Brought By Reconciliation – Éducaloi
Jun 03, 2025
Between 2007 and 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada recorded the abuse suffered by Indigenous people in residential schools and the consequences for their communities. Its goal was to allow Indigenous survivors to share their stories and experiences. It released 94 calls to action “to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation”.
Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission wasn’t the first of its kind in the world. Commissions like this have happened elsewhere, like in South Africa at the end of apartheid. The goal of these commissions is to document the human rights violations and crimes that have been committed, usually during a conflict. This lays the groundwork for reconciliation between the victims and the perpetrators of these crimes. But what does reconciliation mean in Canada? And have the calls to action led to any legal changes so far?
