The Path So Far
Intro
This is a timeline of colonial policies including residential schools in Canada.
Chanie Wenjack’s story is just one of thousands. We have included his story in this timeline to help humanize the history and build understanding of the individual, family, and community impacts of residential schools.
Click the moccasins to continue down the path
Disclaimers
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Disclaimer: We use the term “Indian” when referring to proper names only. This term can be considered offensive, so we do not use it otherwise. Instead, we aim to use the name of the specific Nation we are referring to. When appropriate, we use the internationally accepted term, Indigenous, to refer to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
1620-1680
Boarding schools are established for Indigenous youth by the Récollets, a French order in New France. Later, the Jesuits and a female order called the Ursulines create more schools. This form of assimilation lasts until the 1680s. The Récollets came to New France in 1615, and were present at various times in Acadia, Newfoundland, and Québec.
1820s
Early church schools are run by Protestants, Catholics, Anglicans, and Methodists.
1828-1831
The Mohawk Institute Residential School opens as the Mechanics’ Institute, a day school for boys on the Six Nations of the Grand River reserve. The school began to function as a residential school for boys, and starting in 1834, took in girls as well. It operated under the Anglican Church of Canada.
1847
Egerton Ryerson produces a study of native education at the request of the assistant superintendent general of Indian Affairs. His findings become the model for future residential schools. Ryerson recommends that domestic education and religious instruction is the best model for the Indigenous population. The recommended focus is on agricultural training, and government funding will be awarded through inspections and reports.
1860
Indian Affairs is transferred from the Imperial Government to the Province of Canada. This is after the Imperial Government shifts its policy from fostering the autonomy of Indigenous populations through industry to assimilating them through education.
1876
The Indian Act is implemented. It contains several clauses that allow the federal government to establish and expand residential schools.
1884
Amendments to the Indian Act of 1876 provided for the official creation of residential schools. This system is to be funded and operated by the Government of Canada and Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian, and United churches.
The Canadian government bans traditional Indigenous ceremonies, such as the potlatch.
July 1, 1885
The Mohawk Institute Residential School begins operation under the Government of Canada.
1890
Alberni Indian Residential School in British Columbia opens in 1890 and is operated by the Presbyterian Church. Children become unwilling subjects in nutrition studies to test the body’s response to a lack of nutrients and medical care. As part of the study, some of the children’s diets were enhanced with Western food products such as pasteurized milk and vitamin supplements, while other children in the study were given nothing or placebos.
1897
St. Mary’s is founded by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers. The principal at the time was Father Gaston Lebleu, who would later insist, under oath, that his students were never subjected to corporal punishment.
1907
After visiting 35 residential schools, Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce, Chief Medical Officer for Canada’s Department of the Interior and Indian Affairs from 1904-1921, reveals that Indigenous children were dying at alarming rates. Bryce suggests the mortality rate could be as high as 42 per cent.
1920
Deputy Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, Duncan Campbell Scott, makes residential school attendance mandatory for every Indigenous child between 7 and 16 years of age.
1922
Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce publishes The Story of a National Crime, exposing the government’s suppression of information on the health of Indigenous Peoples. Bryce argued that Duncan Campbell Scott and the Ministry of Indian Affairs neglected Indigenous health needs and noted a “criminal disregard for the treaty pledges.”
1930
During the 1930s, the residential school system had a network of 80 to 90 schools with enrolment exceeding 17,000 children.
1941
The Canadian Government issues numbered identification discs to the Inuit to replace their names.
1948
Researchers use Canada’s residential schools to conduct tests over a five-year period at six institutions with close to 1000 Indigenous children selected for the experiments. These research investigations were conducted by trained dietitians working for either the Red Cross or the federal Nutrition Division, led by director Lionel Pett.
1953-1955
Inuit populations are forcibly moved to High Arctic to reinforce Canadian sovereignty, and there is a high rate of fatality during the process.
1955
The federal government expands the system of residential schools and hostels to Inuit children in the far north.
January 19, 1954
Chanie Wenjack is born to parents Agnes and Jim Wenjack in Ogoki Post, Marten Falls First Nation.
1960-70s
The Reed Paper company dumps thousands of kilograms of mercury-contaminated effluent into the English-Wabigoon River System, causing one of Canada’s worst environmental disasters in Grassy Narrows.
1960s and beyond
The Sixties Scoop
As residential schools began to close, thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families by provincial and federal social workers and placed in foster or adoption homes. Often, these homes were non-Indigenous. Some children were even placed outside of Canada, with no communication to their families.
1963
At the age of nine, Chanie Wenjack is sent to Cecilia Jeffery Indian Residential School in Kenora, ON, located 600km away from his family in Ogoki Post. There are 150 students living at the school, and Chanie is put into remedial classes soon after arriving. Chanie’s name is Anglicized to “Charlie” while at school.
October 16, 1966
Chanie Wenjack is only 12 years old when he runs away from Cecilia Jeffrey, a Presbyterian-run residential school in Kenora, Ontario on Sunday, October 16.
October 22, 1966
Chanie Wenjack dies of hunger and exposure near Farlane, Ontario.
October 23, 1966
Elwood McIvor, a CN railway engineer on freight train number No. 821, discovers Chanie’s lifeless body beside the track at 11:20 a.m.
November 17, 1966
An inquest begins into Chanie’s death. This is the first inquest into the treatment of Indigenous children in Canadian residential schools and sparks national attention. The jury report recognized that, “The Indian education system causes tremendous emotional & adjustment problems for these children.” They recommended, “A study be made of the present Indian education & philosophy. Is it right?”
The case persuades Indian Affairs to issue much clearer guidelines to every institution, only in Ontario, on how to deal with runaways. They were to inform police, interview friends, and organize a prompt search. If six hours passes with no sign of the student, their family were to be notified.
1967
Maclean’s magazine publishes “The Lonely Death of Charlie Wenjack,” written by Ian Adams on February 6, 1967.
1969
The agreement between the churches and the Canadian government comes to an end, with the Department of Indian Affairs assuming responsibility for the remaining schools. The transfer of a few schools to local bands begins.
December 5, 1970
Phillip Swain, age 12 and known to his mom and dad as “Bean,” is found frozen to death 60km outside of Kenora, Ontario. Phillip and Roderick Taypaywaykejick were running away from St. Mary’s Indian Residential School on the outskirts of Kenora. They were from Grassy Narrows, more than 85km away.
1970
St. Mary’s residential school is more residence than school. Most of the children, except those in early primary grades, were being bused to local classrooms in Kenora, then returned to campus for supper and bedtime.
June 27, 1970
The Mohawk Institute Residential School closes.
December 7, 1970
12-year-old Roderick Taypaywaykejick is found dead a few hundred metres farther then Phillip Swain. The children had run away from residential school together. His father, James Keesick, is part of the search and rescue team that finds his son.
December 10, 1970
Dr. Peter D. Pan, the same pathologist who analyzed Chanie Wenjack’s body, performs a post-mortem exam on Roderick and Bean. Both boys weighed 80 pounds and were under five feet tall. Beside the heading “Stomach and Contents,” both reports contain the same word: Empty.
Local coroner, Dr. S.M. Burris, issues a warrant for an inquest. “I have concluded that an inquest should be held to determine if there was negligence in these deaths.”
1973
Construction starts on Otonabee College at Trent University. A group of student leaders that would later become the Indigenous Studies department lobbied tirelessly for the college to be named in Chanie’s honour. The students saw this dedication as an opportunity for Trent to strengthen its Indigenous Studies program, and establish itself as a force for change, hope, and a positive educational experience. The campaign spearheaded by the student leaders led to the naming of Trent’s largest lecture hall as the Chanie Wenjack Theatre.
1974
The education system sees an increase in the number of Indigenous employees. Over 34 per cent of staff members have Indian status. This comes after the federal government gives control of the Indian education program to band councils and education committees within each community.
1975
A provincial Task Force on the Educational Needs of Native Peoples hears recommendations from Indigenous representatives to increase language and cultural programs and improve funding for internal control of education. A Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development publication reports that 174 federal and 34 provincial schools offer language programs in 23 Indigenous languages.
1979
12 to 15 residential schools are still operating in Canada, with an estimated 1,200 children attending. The Department of Indian Affairs has evaluated the schools and created a series of initiatives. Among them was a plan to make the school administration more culturally aware of the needs of Indigenous students.
1982
Métis were included as a distinct Indigenous people in the Canadian constitution. They are defined as an ethnic group with their own culture, distinct from First Nations and Inuit.
1986
The United Church of Canada formally apologizes to First Nations people.
1989
Non-Indigenous orphans at Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland make allegations of sexual abuse by Christian Brothers at the school. The case paves the way for litigation for residential school victims.
1990
Phil Fontaine, leader of the Association of Manitoba Chiefs, meets with representatives of the Catholic Church. He demands that the church acknowledge the physical and sexual abuse suffered by students at residential schools.
December 3, 1992
North of 60 premieres on CBC. The show explored themes of Indigenous poverty, alcoholism, cultural preservation, residential schools, conflict over land settlements, and natural resource exploitation. Originally somewhat light-hearted, it quickly became a more poignant and dramatic series. For many Canadians, this is the first mention of residential schools in society or popular culture.
1993
The Anglican Church offers a formal apology to First Nations people in Canada.
1996
The final Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples is released. It recommends a public investigation into the violence and abuse at residential schools and brings the experiences of Survivors to national attention.
The 4,000-page document makes 440 recommendations calling for changes in the relationship between Indigenous, non-Indigenous, and government sectors in Canada.
1996 Cont’d
Oxford University Press publishes the history textbook, Spotlight Canada Third Edition. On page 145, the following quote appears: “The practice of placing Native children in residential schools continued into the 1980s.” Residential schools are mentioned four times in the entire book and are used in the past tense.
November 1996
The Gordon Residential School, the last federally run facility, closes in Saskatchewan.
1997
Phil Fontaine is elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, a political organization representing First Nations governments and their citizens.
Jan. 7, 1998
The Government of Canada announces Gathering Strength: Canada’s Aboriginal Action Plan, a long-term, broad-based policy approach in response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. The Plan includes the establishment of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and a Statement of Reconciliation. The Statement of Reconciliation: Learning from the Past, in which the Government of Canada recognizes and apologizes to those who experienced physical and sexual abuse at Indian residential schools and acknowledges its role in the development and administration of residential schools.
St. Michael’s Indian Residential School, the last band-run school, closes.
1998
The United Church’s General Council Executive offers a second apology to the First Nations peoples of Canada for the abuse incurred at residential schools. The litigation list naming the Government of Canada and major Church denominations grows to 7,500.
2001
The Canadian government begins negotiations with the Anglican, Catholic, United, and Presbyterian churches to design a compensation plan. By October, the government agrees to pay 70 percent of settlement to former students with validated claims. By December, the Anglican Diocese of Cariboo in British Columbia declares bankruptcy, saying it can no longer pay claims related to residential school lawsuits.
June 2001
Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada was created as a separate department with the mandate to address the legacy of Indian Residential Schools and to manage and resolve claims.
Dec. 12, 2002
Presbyterian Church settles residential schools compensation. It is the second of four churches involved in running residential schools that has initialed an agreement-in-principle with the federal government to share compensation for former students claiming sexual and physical abuse.
March 11, 2003
Ralph Goodale, the minister responsible for residential schools resolution, and leaders of the Anglican Church from across Canada ratify an agreement to compensate victims with valid claims of sexual and physical abuse at Anglican-run residential schools. Together, they agree the Canadian government will pay 70 percent of the compensation and the Anglican Church of Canada will pay 30 percent, to a maximum of $25 million.
November 2003
The Government of Canada launches the National Resolution Framework, which includes a litigation strategy, health supports, a Commemoration program, and an Alternative Dispute Resolution process.
May 30, 2005
The Government of Canada appoints the Honourable Frank Iacobucci to work with legal counsel for former students, legal counsel for churches, and other representatives of former students, including the Assembly of First Nations and other Indigenous organizations, to conclude an agreement that would address not only cases of abuse but also the broader harms arising from the Indian Residential School experience.
2005
The Government of Canada launches an advance payment program for “all eligible former students of Indian Residential Schools” students who were 65 years of age or older.
October 21, 2005
The Supreme Court of Canada rules that the federal government cannot be held fully liable for damages suffered by students abused at a church-run school on Vancouver Island. The United Church carried out most of the day-to-day operations at Port Alberni Indian Residential School, where six Indigenous students claimed they were abused by a dormitory supervisor from the 1940s to the 1960s. The court ruled the church was responsible for 24 percent of the liability.
November 23, 2005
Ottawa announces a $1.9-billion compensation package for those who were forced to attend residential schools called the Common Experience Payment. It includes an initial payout for each person who attended a residential school of $10,000 for the first year they attended, plus $3,000 per subsequent year. Approximately 86,000 people are eligible for compensation.
December 21, 2006
The $2-billion compensation package for Survivors who were forced to attend residential schools is approved by the Nunavut Court of Justice, the eighth of nine courts that must give it the nod before it goes ahead. A court in the Northwest Territories is the last to give approval in January 2007.
However, the class-action deal — one of the most complicated in Canadian history — was effectively settled by Dec. 15, 2006, when documents were released that said the deal had been approved by seven courts: in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon. The average payout is expected to be in the vicinity of $25,000. Those who suffered physical or sexual abuse may be entitled to settlements up to $275,000. Students who attended day schools are not included in the settlement.
May 10, 2006
The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement was approved by all parties. It is the largest class action settlement in Canadian history.
March 2007
The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement received approval from nine courts across Canada. This launched a five month opt-out period in which former students could choose to reject the IRSSA.
April 1, 2007
Launch of the Advocacy and Public Information program.
September 19, 2007
Implementation of the IRSSA begins.
April 28, 2008
Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl announces that Justice Harry LaForme, a member of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation in southern Ontario, will chair the commission that Ottawa promised as part of the settlement with former students of residential schools. At the ceremony, LaForme paid homage to the estimated 90,000 living Survivors of residential schools. “Your pain, your courage, your perseverance, and your profound commitment to truth made this commission a reality,” he said.
June 1, 2008
Justice Harry Laforme was appointed Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Claudette Dumont-Smith and Jane Morley were appointed as Commissioners. Justice Laforme resigned on October 20, 2008, and the remaining Commissioners resigned effective June 1, 2009.
2008
Chanie’s story inspires painting Little Charlie Wenjack’s Escape from Residential School by Anishinaabe artist Roy Kakegamic.
June 11, 2008
Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologizes to former students of residential schools, marking the first formal apology by a prime minister for the federally financed program. “The treatment of children in Indian residential schools is a sad chapter in our history,” he says in a speech in the House of Commons.
January 30, 2009
Two of three commissioners on the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Claudette Dumont-Smith and Jane Brewin Morley, announce that they will step down effective June 1.
April 29, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI expresses “sorrow” to a delegation from Canada’s Assembly of First Nations for the abuse and “deplorable” treatment that Aboriginal students suffered at Catholic church-run residential schools. Assembly of First Nations Leader Phil Fontaine says it doesn’t amount to an official apology but hopes it will “close the book” on the issue of apologies.
June 10, 2009
Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl announces the appointment of Justice Murray Sinclair as Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Marie Wilson, a senior executive with the N.W.T. Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, and Wilton Littlechild, Alberta Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations, are also appointed commissioners.
September 21, 2009
Justice Murray Sinclair says he’ll have to work hard to restore the commission’s credibility. Sinclair says people lost some faith in the commission after infighting forced the resignation of the former chairman and commissioners.
October 15, 2009
Governor General Michaelle Jean re-launched the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
December 30, 2009
Canada’s residential schools commission is settling into its new home — and name — in Winnipeg. New chief commissioner Justice Murray Sinclair recently moved the headquarters of the commission from Ottawa to Winnipeg. The commission has also changed its name from the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).
March 2, 2010
Investigations into cases of students who died or went missing while attending Canada’s residential schools are a priority for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, says the group’s new research director.
March 19, 2010
Survivors of abuse at residential schools are fearing the end of federal funding on March 31 for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, a nationwide network of community-based healing initiatives. The federal government did not renew its funding for the foundation (AHF), which serves 134 community-based healing programs.
April 8, 2010
Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission officially opens its headquarters in Winnipeg, two years after it was first created.
April 16, 2010
Thousands of residential school survivors meet in Winnipeg for the first national event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
June 16 to 19, 2010
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission holds its first national event in Winnipeg, Manitoba. At this event, Canada announces its intent to repeal those sections of the Indian Act that allowed for the establishment of Indian Residential Schools and the removal of children from their homes and communities.
August 18, 2010
The Government of Canada apologizes to the Inuit families who were forcibly relocated to the High Arctic.
November 12, 2010
The Government of Canada announces it will endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a non-binding document that describes the individual and collective rights of Indigenous peoples around the world. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission hails the decision as a step towards making amends.
January 4, 2011
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission jointly launch a $20 million commemoration initiative, which provided former students, their families and communities the opportunity to pay tribute to their experiences by acknowledging the impacts of the residential school system.
March 14, 2011
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission begins three months of hearings in 19 northern communities in the lead up to its second national event, which will be held in Inuvik, N.W.T. between June 28 and July 1.
June 28 to July 1, 2011
Truth and Reconciliation Commission hosts its second national event in Inuvik, Northwest Territories.
October 26 to 29, 2011
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission hosts its third national event in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Minister Duncan announces that the Government of Canada will commemorate the legacy of residential schools through a permanent installation of stained glass artwork in Centre Block on Parliament Hill.
January 24, 2012
A historic Crown-First Nations Gathering is held, building on the Canada-First Nations Joint Action Plan.
June 21 to 24, 2012
Truth and Reconciliation Commission hosts its fourth national event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
November 26, 2012
Dedication of the stained glass window commemorating the legacy of residential schools. The window was installed directly above the west door of Centre Block where Members of Parliament enter.
December 2012
Idle No More begins – founded by three Indigenous women and one non-Indigenous woman mainly in response to the passing of Canada’s Bill C-45 which eliminated many of the state’s environmental laws and opened up Indigenous lands to development.
April 24 to 27, 2013
Truth and Reconciliation Commission hosts its fifth national event in Montreal, Québec.
September 18 to 21, 2013
Truth and Reconciliation Commission hosts its sixth national event in Vancouver, British Columbia.
March 27 to 30, 2014
Truth and Reconciliation Commission hosts its final national event in Edmonton, Alberta.
May 26, 2014
A monument to honour the Survivors of residential schools is unveiled in Winnipeg near the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
June 2, 2015
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission releases the summary of its final report on the residential school system and the experiences of its survivors, characterizing Canada’s treatment of Aboriginal people as “cultural genocide.” The report put forward 94 Calls to Action aimed at repairing relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada—relations that have suffered deeply from the legacy of more than a century of assimilationist policies and human rights violations.
2015
Fresh water scientist Patricia Sellers finds mercury levels still rising in some nearby lakes. Japanese researchers determined that more than 90 per cent of the populations of Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations show signs of poisoning.
November 3, 2015
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, a permanent archive of materials, documents, and testimonies on residential schools gathered during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, opens at the University of Manitoba. Both the centre and the commission were created by the 2007 Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.
December 15, 2015
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission releases Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future, its final report on the residential school system and the experiences of its Survivors. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who attended the ceremonial release of the report, committed his government to implementing all of the 94 Calls to Action set out in the June 2015 summary report.
January 2016
An inquest begins into seven First Nations high school students who died while attending school in Thunder Bay, Ontario between 2000 and 2011. Among the 145 recommendations for preventing the deaths of other students, the jury said that all First Nations should have high schools of their own.
2016
Together with the Wenjack family, Gord and Mike Downie create the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund. The organization operates as a project under Tides Canada Initiatives and the Toronto Foundation.
June 21, 2016
On National Aboriginal Day 2016, Historica Canada releases a Heritage Minute highlighting the story of Chanie Wenjack. Unlike other Heritage Minutes that were narrated by actors, this one is narrated by Chanie’s sister, Pearl.
August 3, 2016
The Government of Canada announces Terms of Reference and appoints Commissioners for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
August 20, 2016
The Tragically Hip perform their final concert at the K-Rock Centre in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario. More than 27,000 fans fill Market Square to watch the live feed of the concert outside, and an estimated 11.7 million more watch it at home on television. With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in attendance, Gord Downie asks all Canadians to look at the state of Indigenous-settler relations in this country and to “Do Something” to change them for the better.
September 1, 2016
A national inquiry officially commences into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
September 9, 2016
While visiting the Wenjack family in Ogoki Post, Gord Downie releases a statement to announce the Secret Path project.
October 18, 2016
Gord Downie releases a concept album based on Chanie Wenjack’s death, entitled Secret Path. The album has an accompanying graphic novel and animated film, created in collaboration with artists Jeff Lemire and Justin Stephenson. Secret Path is Gord’s fifth solo album, and the last to be released before his death. Proceeds from the sale of Secret Path go to The Gord Downie Secret Path Fund for Truth and Reconciliation via the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba. The Secret Path goes on to be used in thousands of classrooms to help teach students in Canada about the history and legacy of residential schools.
October 21, 2016
Gord Downie performs Secret Path live in concert at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. More than 30 members of Chanie Wenjack’s family travelled to attend the event in person and meet Gord and his family. Gord is accompanied by musicians including Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Kevin Hearn (Barenaked Ladies), Josh Finlayson (Skydiggers), Dave Hamelin (The Stills), and Charles Spearin (Broken Social Scene), performing in front of footage from The Secret Path animated film.
October 23, 2016
The Secret Path animated film is broadcast by CBC in an hour-long commercial-free television special.
December 8, 2016
National Chief Perry Bellegarde presents Gord Downie with an Eagle Feather and he was given a Lakota spirit name, Wicapi Omani, meaning “Man who walks among the stars.”
June 1, 2017
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund creates the first Legacy Space onboard the C3 Expedition, a 150-day expedition from Toronto to Victoria via the Northwest Passage that took place from June 1 to October 28, which set sail for Canada’s 150th birthday. This room was created as an intentional and safe space to discuss reconciliation and the future of Indigenous and settler relations in Canada.
July 5, 2017
A student-led campaign at Ryerson University pushes for the school to change its name out of respect for residential school Survivors. The proposal is made by the Ryerson Students Union and the Indigenous Students Association
November 24, 2017
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologizes to Survivors of residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador. They were excluded from Stephen Harper’s 2008 apology because residential schools there were not run by the federal government and were established before Newfoundland joined Confederation in 1949. Survivor Toby Obed, who was instrumental in the class-action lawsuit against the federal government, accepted Trudeau’s apology on behalf of his community. However, Greg Rich, Innu Nation Grand Chief, refused Trudeau’s apology, saying it was too narrow.
March 2018
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund is granted official status as a charity.
June 1, 2018
35 unmarked graves are found on the grounds of the former Muskowekwan school in Saskatchewan.
September 2018
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund pilot the Legacy Schools program, a national initiative to supplement the existing curriculum and ensure that Indigenous perspectives are represented and celebrated in the classroom. 200 educators sign up to receive free toolkits.
October 17, 2018
Secret Path Week is introduced as a national movement commemorating the legacies of Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack, taking place annually from October 17-22. This is a special week as October 17 and 22 respectively mark the dates that Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack joined the spirit world.
June 3, 2019
Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is published. The document reveals that persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two-volume report calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country and is comprised of the truths of more than 2,380 family members, survivors of violence, experts and Knowledge Keepers shared over two years of cross-country public hearings and evidence gathering.
October 2019
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund Legacy Schools program has over 1,200 schools signed up with at least three in every province and territory in Canada.
October 19, 2019
Two days and two years after the death Gord Downie, musicians including Sam Roberts, Tanya Tagaq, July Talk, Sarah Harmer, and Buffy Sainte-Marie gather Saturday to perform at Roy Thomson Hall in a recreation of the original Secret Path Live performance.
May 28, 2021
It is announced that 215 children buried at a former residential school on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory in Kamloops, BC have been recovered. This marks the first of many recoveries of graves at the sites of former residential schools. The news draws international outrage and calls to cancel Canada Day.
July 1, 2021
Canada Day celebrations are canceled from coast to coast to coast in place of events to reflect on Canada’s dark history of colonization.
