- This the official transcript of the apology made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on behalf of Canadians and the Government of Canada for Residential School.
- An informal (written) apology was made in January 1998 by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Jane Stewart.
- This was met with outrage by Indigenous peoples across the country, but Phil Fontaine, the National Chief of the AFN at the time, filed a lawsuit on behalf of those affected by Residential Schools.
- This resulted in the signing of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) with the federal government in 2006, and later the formal apology in 2008.
Canada. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Statement of apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools. [Ottawa, Ontario], 2008. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100015644/1571589171655
For more information on the Government's Apology to Residential School Survivors: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/government-apology-to-former-students-of-indian-residential-schools & http://caid.ca/Dcanada_apology.html
For more information on the events leading up to the apology and the IRSSA: https://www.facinghistory.org/stolen-lives-indigenous-peoples-canada-and-indian-residential-schools/historical-background/government-s-statement-reconciliation
For information on the Phil Fontaine Lawsuit: http://www.nationnewsarchives.ca/article/afn-class-action-lawsuit-over-residential-schools-policy/
For the official House of Commons record of the formal apology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCpn1erz1y8