1991 - Formal inquiry into residential schools initiated

The 1991 establishment of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) marked the first formal national inquiry to investigate the history and ongoing impacts of policies such as the residential school system. RCAP began a comprehensive, public examination of how colonial structures harmed Indigenous peoples, setting the stage for later truth-seeking and reconciliation efforts.

People to People, Nation to Nation: A Consultation Document Summarizing the Main Findings and Recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 1997. 

Photo Credit: “Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples,” https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/royal-commission-on-aboriginal-peoples.