The Facts Of Deliberate Genocide Of Aboriginal People In Canada

DELIBERATE GENOCIDE THE FACTS

OF

ABORIGINAL PEOPLE

IN

CANADA –

Evidence of the intent by government and churches to commit genocide against native people, reflecting a national policy and plan (documents are available):

a. The report of Dr. Peter Bryce, summer 1907, in which a constantly high death rate of between 30%-50% was found in most western residential schools because of a practice by staff of “deliberately infecting children with infectious diseases”. This death rate stayed constant for over 40 years (Globe and Mail, April 24, 2007). b. Statistical Tables from the federal government reveal a net de-population of native people across Canada between 1904 and 1917 of nearly 25%, and again during the 1920’s. This decline was directly attributable to widespread and untreated tuberculosis. c. Despite this huge mortality level in the residential schools, the federal government passed a law in 1920 requiring compulsory attendance in these schools by every native child, on pain of imprisonment and fining of their parents. d. The same year (1919-1920), all medical inspection of these schools was abolished by a federal government order-in-council. Deaths of native students from tuberculosis rose dramatically immediately following this abolition of medical inspection. e. During the subsequent decade (1920-30), natives were stripped of their legal rights and power to hire a lawyer (1927), formal legal guardianship of native children was transferred from the federal government to residential school Principals, i.e., the churches (1929), and involuntary sterilization laws were implemented by which any native child in these schools could legally be made infertile (1929-1933). f. One third to one half of residential school students continued to die on average for nearly fifty years (1900-1950), despite repeated studies and warnings to the churches and federal government. g. The policy of the federal government was not to hospitalize Indians and Inuit people suffering and dying from tuberculosis. (Globe and Mail, May 29, 1953) h. Numerous accounts exist of native children sick with tuberculosis being admitted en masse into residential schools and deliberately housed with the 1

healthy, causing subsequent deaths. No segregation of sick and healthy was practiced. i. Native children consistently died at a much higher rate within residential schools than outside them, because of conditions within the schools that "weakened ... their constitution". Despite knowing this, government officials took no action. (Letter of M. McKay to D.C. Scott, April 1910) j. Native children infected with smallpox and tuberculosis were deliberately sent back to their homes and into native villages by residential school staff and doctors (e.g., Mission Catholic school, 1923). k. Two distinct standards of health and medical care were practiced by government and church doctors at the residential schools, along clear racial lines. Native children received a consistently lower standard of attention and treatment (e.g., letter of Dr. F. Pitts, Lejac school, 1934). l. Government officials, including the heads of Indian Affairs, authorized these practices through a policy that legitimated lack of care and widespread deaths on the grounds that “a high death rate from tuberculosis and other diseases is to be expected … among Indian children” (DIA Superintendent D.C. Scott, 1918). m. Extensive residential school records were deliberately destroyed by federal government “document destruction teams” throughout the 1950’s and ‘60’s across Canada (Ottawa Sun, May, 2007). Government and church officials suppressed evidence of deaths and other crimes in residential schools consistently for nearly a century, and as recently as the 1960’s. (Province, October, 1998)

Source: Documents from the RG 10 series on Indian Residential Schools, federal Department of Indian Affairs, Ottawa, (Vols. R 7733), reproduced in Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust (2005, 2nd ed.) by K. Annett http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org

For more information, contact Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared-Toronto at [email protected].

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