Awareness of residential school harms has increased, but more reconciliation work needed: report

A new report measuring Canada's progress towards reconciliation shows that while awareness of the harms caused by residential schools has increased, more work is needed.

This is the latest information revealed in the second national Canadian Reconciliation Barometer report. It measures the progress towards reconciliation since the final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was released eight years ago.

“Tracking Reconciliation is important because progress is not guaranteed and tracking can motivate people, organizations, and governments to act,” said Katherine Starzyk, a professor in the department of psychology at the University of Manitoba, in a news release.

Starzyk is a lead researcher on the project, along with researchers from the University of Victoria, Toronto Metropolitan University, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and Probe Research.

The report found there was in increase in the awareness of past harms caused by residential schools. According to the report, 66 per cent of non-Indigenous respondents agreed that governments in Canada harmed Indigenous peoples intentionally, systematically, and for a long time.

This is a jump compared to 57 per cent in 2021.

While awareness is up, the report says progress is slow in some areas, such as engagement in reconciliation. It found non-Indigenous people are not yet getting to know Indigenous communities in their area, taking in Indigenous cultural events, or trying to learn more about reconciliation.

“Awareness is only the start of the journey,” said Ry Moran, one of the team members on the project from the University of Victoria.

"It helps open the door for further learning and paves the way for deeper and more meaningful engagement with the historical and contemporary realities faced by Indigenous peoples.

We need to be cautious that we don’t rush into thinking we are further ahead than we are.”

You can read the full Canadian Reconciliation Barometer Project report online