Residential schools were part of a solution the federal government placed on the First Nations people.

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Tuesday, Sept. 30, is Orange Shirt Day or, as it is known by its official name, Truth and Reconciliation Day.

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It’s a sad day for many of our people, but also a day that holds out promise and a better future for Indigenous people, and by extension, all Canadians.

Residential schools were part of a solution the federal government placed on the First Nations people. The colonial government recalled the history of Quebec and duplicated their governance model, sort of.

In 1759, after the fall of Quebec, the elites moved back to France or other French colonies. The British were left with the problem of how to govern this new colony, so they turned to the church. For over 200 years, the church ran the hospitals, social services and education. It didn’t cost the British much and the population was controlled by a third party. It was classic colonialism.

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For First Nations, the treaties called for schools on reserves so it was agreed the churches would administer them with the understanding they would be institutions of cultural genocide. Of course, they didn’t say........

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