Canada protests over Indian Residential Schools expand

Significance

The discovery of the bodies of hundreds of children at Canada’s former Indian Residential Schools has unleashed a wave of anger and mourning across Canada’s growing Indigenous population. More discoveries are expected, posing challenges for the country’s economic and social fabric.

Impacts

• Public works projects may slow amid intensified disputes between the Canadian state and Indigenous peoples over lands and resources.
• There will be more pressure to share wealth from economic activity that directly affects Indigenous communities.
• Indigenous communities are likely to benefit from greater control over the design and delivery of government services.
• Cultural and academic institutions will increasingly prioritise and amplify Indigenous voices and perspectives.
• Canada’s reputation as an advocate for human rights will be affected by its handling of the residential schools issue.