Once upon a time, various
churches in
Canada decided for whatever reasons that it would be a
Good Thing to try to bring
culture (or, at least, their culture, and their religion) to the
children of the
native peoples. After centuries of
mission schools and churches, the stage was set to build
residential schools. These were supported by the
provincial and
federal governments, but usually run by
religious organisations.
Abuse was nearly built-in from the ground up. Native children were forbidden to speak their own language, and taught to ignore their own heritage. Sexual abuse, and verbal and physical abuse were also a problem. The schools no longer exist, but their effects linger long after. These effects include a widespread loss of cultural identity in many native communities. The list of things that have gone wrong in how Canada has dealt with native peoples is very long, but residential schools must come near the top, for having damaged entire generations of some communities.
For one thing, lawsuits seem set to hit every organisation which ever had anything to do with a residential school. This may include forcing the Anglican church in Canada into bankruptcy.