“September 30 marks the day for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.”

So say the words of the Canadian Federal government on this shameful aspect of Canadian history. It is a mark of our time that the government has owned up to its participation in the residential schools that were part of Canada’s less than stellar engagement with its native peoples.

Unfortunately the response was not so open in the past. In the early 20th century, Peter Henderson Bryce was a health inspector who visited residential schools and reported on the deplorable conditions under which the schools were run. This report is available here at Faded Page: The Story of a National Crime: being an appeal for justice to the Indians of Canada.

Bryce reported that extremely poor sanitary conditions were leading to a high rate of disease and death mainly due to tuberculosis, a very preventable disease. The author characterized this as a national crime and hoped that his report would lead to meaningful action. Unfortunately the government at the time refused to publish the report and quietly terminated Bryce’s employment. Bryce in turn published the report at his own expense but as we can see from history, it received little recognition.

Bryce’s report achieved little and he suffered the consequences. We can all hope for more transparency with our future government and less need for whistleblowers like Peter Henderson Bryce.

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