8/22/2019 Paul Martin Accuses Residential Schools of 'Cultural Genocide' - Politics - CBC News

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4/27/13 Paul Martin accuses residential schools of 'cultural genocide' - Politics - CBC News

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Paul Martin accuses residential schools of'cultural genocide''Call a spade a spade,' former prime minister saysCBC News

Posted: Apr 26, 2013 9:21 PM ETLast Updated: Apr 26, 2013 10:43 PM ET

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Residential schools engaged in "cultural genocide," former prime minister Paul Martin said Friday at thehearings of the federal Truth And Reconciliation Commission, adding that aboriginal Canadians must nowbe offered the best educational system.

"Let us understand that what happened at the residential schools was the use of education for culturalgenocide, and that the fact of the matter is yes it was. Call a spade a spade," Martin said to cheers fromthe audience at the Montreal hearings.

Stolen Children: Truth and Reconciliation Commission

"And what that really means is that we've got to offer aboriginal Canadians, without any shadow of adoubt, the best education system that is possible to have."

The residential school system existed from the 1870s until the 1990s and saw about 150,000 native youthtaken from their families and sent to church-run schools under a deliberate policy of "civilizing" FirstNations.

Many students were physically, mentally and sexually abused. Some committed suicide or died fleeing theirschools. Mortality rates reached 50 per cent at some schools.

In the 1990s, thousands of victims sued the Canadian government as well as churches that ran the schools.The $1.9-billion settlement of that suit in 2007 prompted an apology from Prime Minister Stephen Harperand the creation of the commission.

But the government has clashed with the commission and recently had to be ordered by an Ontario court tofind and turn over documents from Library and Archives Canada.

"Every document is relevant," Martin said. "We have hid this for 50 years. It's existed for 150. Surely toGod, Canadians are entitled ... aboriginal Canadians and non-aboriginal Canadians, to know the truth. Andso let the documents be released."

Ottawa ordered to provide all residential schools documents

New Democrat MP Romeo Saganash also testified on Friday about the damage he suffered in a residentialschool.

Saganash, who was separated from his family and sent to a residential school in the Quebec town of LaTuque, cried as he described the death of his brother Johnny, whom he never met.

He said his family still doesn't have a death certificate or know what really happened, and that he wasn'teven allowed to return home for his father's funeral.

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8/22/2019 Paul Martin Accuses Residential Schools of 'Cultural Genocide' - Politics - CBC News

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4/27/13 Paul Martin accuses residential schools of 'cultural genocide' - Politics - CBC News

www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/04/26/truth-and-reconciliation-saganash-paul-martin.html

Saganash told the audience at the Montreal hearings that he might look like a normal person but isn't.

'I can never be normal'

"I can never be normal," said Saganash, who for the first few years of his life spoke Cree and lived innature.

"And none, none of those kids who were sent to residential schools can claim to be normal today. It's

impossible."

Like several others who spoke at the hearing, Saganash said injustices to aboriginal peoples did not stopwith the closing of residential schools.

"There are still racist policies against aboriginals," said Saganash, who referred to the federal Indian Act.

"Even when we get a victory before the courts, the government continues to fight against our fundamentalrights."

With files from The Canadian Press