09/30/2026
For Nations across these lands, the residential school system is not distant history. Photographs are shown in black and white to represent a bygone era, but the history and many buildings still stand today in full colour.
The last federally-funded residential school didn’t close until 1997. The Survivors are our Elders, our family, our friends, and in many cases, ourselves.
We are still working to repair the damage that was done to our communities, reviving culture, reviving language, reviving our lifeways. But we are resilient and strong, and we are building a future for our children that we can be proud of.
Every day of the year, our Member Nations are doing the work that residential schools tried to make impossible: growing food on our own land, running our own housing and infrastructure, speaking our languages, gathering with Elders and youth in the same room, and making decisions as successful, sovereign Nations.
Together, we remember our history, and we are using its lessons to build a strong, enduring future.
