Canada apologizes to residential school survivors
Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivers a formal apology in the House of Commons
Quick facts
- Date
- 11 June 2008
- Delivered by
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper
- Location
- House of Commons, Ottawa
- Addressed
- c. 80,000 living former students
What happened
On 11 June 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood in the House of Commons and delivered a Statement of Apology to former students of Indian residential schools on behalf of the Government of Canada, following the 2006 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Addressing an estimated 80,000 living former students directly, Harper stated: 'the Government of Canada now recognizes that it was wrong to forcibly remove children from their homes and we apologize for having done this,' adding that the government recognized it had 'undermined the ability of many to adequately parent their own children' and had failed to protect children from abuse and neglect within the schools. The apology accompanied the formal launch of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established under the same settlement agreement.
Why it matters
It was the first formal apology from a sitting Canadian prime minister for the residential school system, delivered in Parliament rather than through a lesser official statement, and it created the political basis for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's subsequent six-year investigation and final report.
How we know
The full text of Harper's apology survives as an official government record and is quoted directly in this account; the Canadian Encyclopedia's entry on the apology corroborates its date and context.
Sources
- Government of Canada. Statement of apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools · Primary source (author-declared)rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca · Cited as a "primary" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- The Canadian Encyclopedia. Government Apology to Former Students of Residential Schools · Reputable sourcethecanadianencyclopedia.ca · The domain "thecanadianencyclopedia.ca" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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Part of a timelineHistory of Canada38 events · From the first peoples of the Americas and a Norse camp in Newfoundland to Confederation, the railway, two world wars, and a reckoning with the residential-school systemView all →