Residential schools began in Canada before Confederation, but were implemented primarily following the Indian Act of 1876. The Indian Act of 1867 allowed the Crown to place much of restrictions on the Indians' status, and these restrictions included how their children would receive a formal education. Indian residential schools in Canada were boarding schools administered by Canadian churches and funded by the state. The churches involved included the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, and the Presbyterian Church. Residential schools are commonly known to have been introduced with the intent of educating, assimilating, and integrating Aboriginal people into Western culture and Canadian society. According to the government of the time, the objective was "to kill the Indian in the child". However, in attempting to liberate children from their Indian culture and ethnicity, the residential school system perpetually committed cultural genocide, and the effects would be seen in generations to come. offered a long-awaited and much-needed apology to Canada's Aboriginal communities. Harper called the residential school era a “sad chapter in our history that should not have happened” (Harper, 2008). While the Canadian government's public apology was a step in the right direction, many, from a more critical lens, have referred to The Residential School System as a cultural genocide rather than a "simply sad chapter in our history." However, while the Canadian government seeks to shy away from this accusation, the impact of the residential school system on Aboriginal people should not be viewed lightly. This p......middle of paper......son (2012). The issue of genocide and Indian residential schools in Canada. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 45, pp 427-Canada. Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Volume 1: Looking forward, looking back. Chapter 10, “Residential Schools.” Ottawa: Supplies and Services Canada, 1996. Fournier, Suzanne and Ernie Crey. Stolen from our embrace: the abduction of First Nations children and the restoration of Aboriginal communities. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1997. Haig-Brown, Celia. Resistance and Renewal: Surviving the Indian Residential School. Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press, 1998. First published by Tillicum Library, 1988. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pm-cites-sad-chapter -in- apology-for-residential-schools-http://www.ahf.ca/downloads/misconceptions.pdf449. doi:10.1017/S000842391200039X.