Windsor church, schools react to Truth and Reconciliation Commission report

A local Anglican reverend admits Canada's residential schools were a mistake.

"It's disheartening to know that we messed up and we messed up that badly," reverend Rob Lemon said.

He presides over St. Mark's By The Lake Anglican Church in Windsor, Ont.

In the 19th century, the Canadian government believed it was responsible for educating and caring for aboriginal people in Canada. It thought their best chance for success was to learn English and adopt Christianity and Canadian customs.

It's a particularly damming report.- Rev. Rob Lemon

The Anglican Church was one of many Christian churches that worked with the federal government.

There were a total of about 130 schools in every territory and province except Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick from the earliest in the 19th century to the last, which closed in 1996.

In all, about 150,000 First Nation, Inuit and Métis children were removed from their communities and forced to attend the schools.

Throughout the years, students lived in substandard conditions and endured physical and emotional abuse. There have also been convictions of sexual abuse.

Lemon says the last Anglican residential schools were closed in 1969 but he knows the devastating effects still linger.

Lemon says the Anglican Church is trying to atone for wrongs outlined in detail in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report, released earlier this week.

"It's a particularly damning report for the church," Lemon said. "But I think it's an opportunity for us to move forward, an opportunity for us to respond well and to look forward to some healing and some reconciliation."

For starters, St. Mark's by the Lake Church will toll its bell 1,122 times between now and June 21, the National Aboriginal Day of Prayer.

It will ring once for every aboriginal woman reported missing or murdered between 1980 and 2012.

'Cultural genocide'

At least 6,000 aboriginal children died while in the residential school system, says Justice Murray Sinclair, the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which released its findings earlier this week.

"I think as commissioners we have concluded that cultural genocide is probably the best description of what went on here. But more importantly, if anybody tried to do this today, they would easily be subject to prosecution under the genocide convention," Sinclair told Evan Solomon of CBC Radio's The House.

A total of 94 recommendations are included in the final report.

Among them, is a call to reform the education system and teach students at all levels about this dark chapter in Canadian history. It also calls on educators to teach students about aboriginal culture.

Locally, Tina De Castro is a teacher consultant who helps shape lessons on Canada's indigenous people at the Greater Essex District School Board .

"The report itself is not enough," she said. "For us, moving forward, I think it's the actions that we take."

She says the public board is working to address the report's recommendations.

This school year, elementary school librarians, Grade 5 teachers and principals were given a series of sessions on how to integrate indigenous lessons and perspectives into the classroom.

'I have been in tears'

De Castro said shaping the curriculum has been emotional.

"I was taught from a Eurocentric perspective and this position has just been enlightening for me," she said. "There were times that I have been in tears because of the shame I feel for not knowing what truly happened."

De Castro says there is plenty of work to be done.

"Reducing the achievement gap, providing a culturally relevant education for our students, as well as protecting the languages - the indigenous languages - here in our schools," she said.