“Two primary objectives of the Residential Schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture.” – Stephen Harper

The British Columbia government has given to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 4,900 death certificates of First Nations youth aged from four to 19 who died between 1870 and 1984.

About 150,000 First Nation, Metis and Inuit students attended residential schools during their 140 year-long existence.

This was handed over during a ceremony in Edmonton today where the Commission is holding its final national event.

The TRC is currently trying to tally the exact number of First Nation children who died in residential schools.  4,100 children have been identified as part of its Missing Children Project.

The Commission will sift through B.C.’s data to determine which of the deaths happened in a residential school.

The commission has requested the data from every province and territory.

This past December, the B.C. government released an initial batch of death registration information from 1870 to 1956. The provincial government has since determined there were more records to turn over during the full time span.

The TRC was created as part of a multi-billion dollar class action settlement agreement between survivors, Ottawa and the churches. The commission has held seven national events.

The commission is tasked with recording the experiences of residential school survivors and gathering historical records of the schools.