Wilton Littlefield

Canada's Residential Schools Wilton Littlefield

The closing of residential schools did not bring their story to an end. The legacy of the schools continues to this day. It is reflected in the significant edu-cational, income, and health disparities between Aboriginal people and other Canadians-disparities that condemn many Aboriginal people to shorter, poorer, and more troubled lives. The legacy is also reflected in the intense racism some people harbour against Aboriginal people and the systemic and other forms of discrimination Aboriginal people regularly experience in Canada. Over a century of cultural genocide has left most Aboriginal languages on the verge of extinction. The disproportionate apprehension of Aboriginal children by child welfare agencies and the disproportion-ate imprisonment and victimization of Aboriginal people are all part of the legacy of the way that Aboriginal children were treated in residential schools. This volume examines the legacy of Canada's policy of assimilation and the residential schools it created in five specific areas: child welfare, education, language and culture, health, and justice.