“Civilize and Christianize”: What the Words Behind Residential Schools Tell Us About Reconciliation

“In order to educate the children properly we must separate them from their families. Some people may say this is hard, but if we want to civilize them we must do that.” ~ Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, Public Works Minister of Canada, 1883

These words are difficult to read.

They should be.

In 1883, as Canada was developing and expanding the residential school system, Sir Hector-Louis Langevin told Parliament that Indigenous children needed to be separated from their families if they were to be “civilized.” The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation identifies this statement as part of the historical record surrounding the development of residential schools in Canada.

The quote is important because it challenges one of the most common misunderstandings about residential schools: that they were simply schools that provided education to Indigenous children and that the harms occurring within them were an unintended consequence.

The history tells us something different.

What did “civilize and Christianize” mean in the context of Residential Schools?

The phrase “civilize and Christianize” is used in historical accounts of Canada's residential school system to describe the goals that government and church officials associated with the education of Indigenous children.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission documented that the residential school system was funded by the Canadian government and administered by Christian churches. Its stated purpose included separating Indigenous children from their families in order to assimilate them into settler Canadian society.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's historical record shows that the idea of “civilizing” Indigenous Peoples existed within Canadian policy long before the residential school system was fully developed. In 1880, for example, Bishop Vital Grandin argued that Indigenous children needed to be separated from their families and taught to abandon the customs, habits, and languages of their ancestors in order to become “civilized.”

This was not simply an educational philosophy.

It was a colonial one.

The underlying assumption was that Indigenous cultures, languages, spiritual traditions, and ways of life were inferior to European and Christian ones - and that Indigenous children needed to be transformed.

Residential schools were part of an assimilation system

Understanding the history of residential schools requires us to look beyond the classroom.

Residential schools were part of a much broader system of colonial policies intended to assimilate Indigenous Peoples and reshape Indigenous societies.

Children were separated from their families and communities. Many were prevented from speaking their Indigenous languages and practising their cultures and spiritual traditions. The system disrupted relationships between children, parents, grandparents, siblings, and communities.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation describes the residential school system as one that was designed to separate children from their families in order to “civilize” them and eliminate what government officials referred to as the “Indian problem.” More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children attended residential schools.

The separation itself was therefore significant.

It was not incidental to the system.

Family separation was part of the mechanism of assimilation.

Why language and culture were targeted

Language is more than a way of communicating.

For Indigenous Peoples, language can carry relationships, teachings, histories, values, identity, and ways of understanding the world.

When children were prevented from speaking their languages or practising their cultures, the impact extended far beyond the classroom.

The Canadian government's Public Health Agency notes that residential schools were established with the goal of erasing Indigenous cultures and languages, and that colonial policies have had continuing intergenerational effects.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission similarly documented the ways residential schools attacked Indigenous culture, language, spiritual beliefs, and practices.

This is one reason the words “civilize and Christianize” matter today.

They help us understand that cultural suppression was not simply an unfortunate side effect.

It was connected to the purpose of the system.

The role of churches in residential schools

Christian churches played a significant role in Canada's residential school system.

The federal government provided funding and administrative support while Christian denominations operated many of the schools. Formal agreements between the federal government and several Christian churches governed the operation of residential schools for decades.

Religious instruction was central to the system.

The objective was not simply to teach children reading, writing, or trades. Indigenous children were also expected to adopt Christianity and European social and cultural practices.

This is why the historical phrase “civilize and Christianize” is so important.

It describes the intersection of two objectives: transforming Indigenous children according to European ideas of civilization and converting them to Christianity.

The importance of telling the truth

Truth and Reconciliation in Canada begins with being willing to tell the truth about what happened.

That means more than acknowledging that residential schools existed.

It means asking:

Why were they created?

Who created them?

What did they intend to accomplish?

What happened to the children who were taken from their families?

What were the consequences for Indigenous languages, cultures, families, and communities?

And perhaps most importantly:

What continues today?

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's historical timeline records that in 1883, the same year Langevin made his statement, Sir John A. Macdonald authorized the creation of residential schools in western Canada.

The chronology matters.

The words were not detached from policy.

They were part of a period when Canada was actively developing and expanding institutions intended to assimilate Indigenous children.

Reconciliation requires more than remembering

Every year, September 30 provides an opportunity to reflect on the history of residential schools and honour Survivors, their families, and the children who never returned home.

Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation have helped bring greater public awareness to this history.

But awareness is only one part of reconciliation.

Reconciliation requires us to ask what we will do with what we learn.

That might mean learning more about the history of the Indigenous Nation or Nations whose land we live on. It might mean reading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action. It might mean supporting Indigenous-led organizations, businesses, artists, educators, and community initiatives.

It also means examining the institutions and systems in which we participate.

What assumptions do they carry?

Whose knowledge is valued?

Who has decision-making power?

Are Indigenous voices being heard?

Are Indigenous people being asked to adapt to systems that were never designed with them in mind?

These questions move reconciliation from symbolism toward responsibility.

Reconciliation is also about what was preserved

There is another part of this history that deserves attention.

Colonial policies attempted to suppress Indigenous languages, cultures, spiritual practices, family relationships, and ways of life.

Yet Indigenous Peoples survived.

Families preserved teachings.

Communities maintained relationships.

Languages endured.

Ceremonies continued.

Knowledge was carried forward.

Indigenous Peoples continue to revitalize languages, reclaim cultural practices, strengthen communities, and assert their rights and self-determination.

Reconciliation should therefore not only be a story about what was taken.

It should also recognize the resilience, strength, resistance, survival, and resurgence of Indigenous Peoples.

What can we do?

There is no single action that completes reconciliation.

But there are places to begin.

Learn the history

Learn about residential schools, the Indian Act, forced relocations, the Sixties Scoop, the TB Legacy of the 1950's, Indigenous child welfare, treaty relationships, and the ongoing impacts of colonialism.

Listen to Indigenous voices

Read books by Indigenous authors. Listen to Survivors and Indigenous educators, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, artists, and community members.

Remember that Indigenous Peoples are not a single group, and no one person can speak for every Indigenous Nation or community.

Read the Calls to Action

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action provide a framework for individuals, organizations, governments, and institutions to consider their responsibilities.

Support Indigenous-led work

Support Indigenous artists, authors, businesses, educators, organizations, and community initiatives.

Examine your own workplace or organization

Reconciliation is not only personal.

Consider how policies, practices, hiring, education, healthcare, social services, child welfare, justice, and other systems affect Indigenous Peoples.

Keep learning beyond September

Truth and Reconciliation should not become a once-a-year conversation.

September 30 can be a starting point - not an ending point.

Why these words still matter

“In order to educate the children properly we must separate them from their families.”

“If we want to civilize them we must do that.”

These words tell us something fundamental about the residential school system.

The separation of Indigenous children from their families was not simply an unfortunate consequence of an educational system.

It was understood as a means of achieving a particular goal.

The goal was assimilation.

The language of “civilizing” and “Christianizing” Indigenous children reflected a colonial belief that Indigenous cultures and ways of life needed to be replaced.

Understanding that truth matters.

Because reconciliation requires more than remembering that residential schools existed.

It requires understanding why they existed, what they were intended to accomplish, the harm they caused, the resilience of Indigenous Peoples, and the responsibilities that remain today.

Truth comes first.

Then comes the work of reconciliation.

And that work belongs to all of us.

Continuing the work

🧡 Learn. Listen. Reflect. Act.

Truth and Reconciliation is not a single day.

It is an ongoing responsibility.

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