Protect residential school records

AI summary

Petitioners ask the House of Commons to prohibit destruction of residential school records, require their preservation and Indigenous co‑stewardship, fund digitization and community access, and ensure parliamentary transparency. The government responds that it supports preservation, cites the National Centre and Library and Archives, and notes a court order affecting some IAP records.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons The archival records from Canada’s residential schools are of profound historical, cultural, and evidentiary importance - documenting the lived experiences of Indigenous children and families, as well as the systemic abuses endured under colonial policies; These records, kept by churches, federal and provincial archives, universities, and other institutions, are currently at risk of being destroyed, disposed of, or rendered inaccessible, presenting a grave threat to truth, justice, and reconciliation; and Destruction of such records would result in irreparable harm, including the erasure of survivor voices, loss of historical memory, and obstacles to legal research, accountability, and restorative processes. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to: 1. Take immediate and decisive measures to prohibit the destruction or permanent loss of all residential school records held by federal, provincial, institutional, or ecclesiastical custodians; 2. Mandate the preservation and long-term safeguarding of these records, ensuring their availability to Indigenous communities, survivors, scholars, and the public, while respecting cultural sensitivities and privacy; 3. Provide federal funding and resources to support the digitization, archiving, and community access initiatives, enabling respectful and equitable access to these records for documentation, healing, and education; 4. Affirm Indigenous peoples as rightful partners and custodians in the governance and stewardship of these records - recognized through co-management frameworks and protocols guided by Indigenous laws and values; and 5. Ensure transparency and accountability, including regular reporting to Parliament and public oversight, regarding the preservation status and accessibility of residential school archives.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Signed by JAIME BATTISTE The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations would like to thank the Member for Edmonton Northwest and the petitioner for raising the issue of the potential destruction of Residential Schools-related archival records held by federal, provincial, institutional, or ecclesiastical custodians. The Government agrees on the importance of Residential Schools historical records being retained and protected; this is central to both supporting Indigenous-led efforts to identify and locate missing children and burial sites associated with former Residential Schools, and to ensuring present and future generations of Canadians have access to the full and transparent history of Residential Schools. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is the official, non-governmental repository of the national Residential Schools documents archive, which includes the more than four million historical records transferred to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission by the Government of Canada pursuant to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. None of these records are being destroyed. Independent Assessment Process claimant records which have been the subject of much recent attention cannot be shared by the Government of Canada with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The Supreme Court of Canada issued a decision in 2017 ordering that documents from the Independent Assessment Process be destroyed by all parties, including the Government of Canada and except where otherwise specified by the Court, in order to protect the absolute confidentiality of Survivors. This destruction order excludes claimant documents held by Survivors or donated by Survivors to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada are final. Through the Court-approved My Records, My Choice program, Survivors have until September 19, 2027, to request copies of their Independent Assessment Process documents – such as Independent Assessment Process applications, and personal health, tax, education, and other records – and/or to donate their documents to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation for archiving and preservation. Survivors can go to myrecordsmychoice.cafor more information and to request copies of their Independent Assessment Process records, and/or to request that copies of their records be donated to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The Supreme Court of Canada’s destruction order concerns documents produced or used for the purpose of the Independent Assessment Process and does not apply to historical documents, whether held in the Centre’s collection or by the Government of Canada. Any Independent Assessment Process documents donated by Survivors to the Centre and the testimonies that Survivors chose to give to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (and which are now archived at the Centre) will not be destroyed. The Government of Canada supports the important work of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in ensuring the preservation of Residential Schools-related records, and encourages holders of Residential Schools-related historical records – including provincial, institutional, and ecclesiastical records-holders – to share these with the Centre to ensure their ongoing preservation. Response by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages Signed by The Honourable Marc Miller The government of Canada recognizes the fundamental importance of residential school records for survivors, their families, Indigenous communities and all Canadians. These documents are essential sources of information for understanding the history of residential schools, seeking truth, and ongoing reconciliation efforts. Records transferred to Library and Archives Canada that have been identified as having archival value will be permanently preserved. Once in the custody of Library and Archives Canada, these records are retained in accordance with professional standards and applicable requirements for the preservation of Canada's documentary heritage. Under the Library and Archives of Canada Act, the organization issues disposition authorities to federal institutions that determine which records have archival value and must be permanently preserved. However, federal institutions remain responsible for the management of their records and for decisions regarding records that are not designated as having archival value. Library and Archives Canada implements various measures to facilitate access to the documentary heritage in its custody. This includes reference services, document description and digitization, and dissemination of information resources through online platforms and consultation services. Library and Archives Canada recognizes that certain documents related to the history of residential schools and the experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people require specific approaches in terms of access and description. To this end, Library and Archives Canada continues to work with Indigenous partners and communities to better take into account cultural sensitivities, Indigenous knowledge, privacy concerns and protocols specific to the communities concerned. Library and Archives Canada is therefore continuing its efforts to improve access to the documentary heritage in its custody while preserving a balance between open information, respect for the communities concerned and applicable legal obligations. Library and Archives Canada recently published Strategic Pathways for Indigenous Heritages, a document developed in collaboration with Indigenous partners that sets out a long-term vision to guide the institution's work on Indigenous documentary heritage. This document recognizes the importance of strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities and fostering approaches based on respect, collaboration, Indigenous rights and Indigenous data sovereignty. Library and Archives Canada is currently continuing work to implement this vision and develop an action plan that will guide its future activities. In this context, the institution continues to work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis to integrate their perspectives into approaches to preservation, description, access and stewardship of Indigenous documentary heritage preserved by Library and Archives Canada. Through this work, Library and Archives Canada seeks to strengthen its collaboration with Indigenous peoples so that its practices and services better reflect the values, protocols and priorities of the communities concerned.