The Catholic Church and Indian Residential School Survivors
With the visit of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit delegations to the Vatican, the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre has published an online exhibition about the Catholic Church and the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (2006). The exhibition includes previously unavailable files from the 2015 court case, Fontaine v Saskatchewan (Attorney General), in which the Canadian courts released the Catholic Entities from their obligations to Survivors. The exhibition features a background note from the Centre’s Academic Director, Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Aki-Kwe); timelines of the Settlement Agreement and the 2015 Court Case; and court files from the court case.
Image credit: [Untitled] by George Wylesol (2021). Source: The Globe and Mail. Used with permission of artist.
Latest News
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- Call for xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Artists: Orange Shirt Day 2022
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at UBC (“the Centre”), located on the unceded and ancestral territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples, in collaboration with Musqueam Indian Band, is inviting xʷməθkʷəy̓əm artists to submit expressions of interest to create original artwork for the 2022 Orange Shirt […] - Globe and Mail: B.C. sees spike in critical injuries to youth in government care during pandemic’s first year
Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, Aki-kwe, Academic Director of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre and law professor at UBC, comments on the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development withholding data. - Indigenous Peoples Day at the Centre
June 21, 10 AM – 4 PM Join us in the gallery space for a day of refreshments, crafts and films. Staff will be available to answer questions about Centre’s work and the Indian residential school system, and to demonstrate the interactive technology. What’s happening Snacks and refreshments provided Crafting […] - Indigenous History Month: See What’s Happening at UBC
June commemorates Indigenous History Month in Canada. The month encourages people to learn about, appreciate and acknowledge the rich history, heritage, resilience, contributions and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples across the country.
What’s On
PODCAST
Listen to the Centre’s new podcast Love, Land & Spirit, a series about connection, community, culture, and Indigeneity written and hosted by a team of four Indigenous youth.
VIDEO
For those who missed the online dialogue, the recorded event will be available soon. Learn more about the Brigid Festival and view the other presentations.
VIDEO
For those who were unable to join us for the Dialogue Decolonizing Wellness: Indigenous Women’s Perspectives on Healthcare, the video is now available for viewing.
COLLECTIONS
View the Centre’s latest featured collection to learn more about the 2015 court case that released the Catholic Church from its obligations to Survivors.
The records offer diverse perspectives (former students, officials, journalists, scholars) and include Survivor testimonies, Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, photographs, maps, government documents, church documents, and newspaper articles.
Responding to Survivors’ desire to have a single point of access to residential school records, the Centre provides access to an online database containing digital copies of records from partner organizations. This single access point brings together records that are otherwise dispersed online and in physical spaces.
The Centre is located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam people). We are privileged to work with the Musqueam First Nation and the Musqueam Archives as community partners.
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