Inside the Williams Lake residential school: Violation of Trust (1991) - The Fifth Estate

WARNING: This documentary includes distressing details and could be triggering for some viewers.

Originally broadcast on Jan. 9, 1991, “Violation of Trust,” hosted by Gillian Findlay, is an in-depth examination of Canada's residential school system and was, at the time, one of the first documentaries to reveal to a non-Indigenous audience the abuse students in the system endured. It’s important to note that some of the language used is outdated and would not be used today, nor would some of the assumptions about Indigenous people.

The program focuses on St. Joseph’s Mission School, which operated from 1891 to 1981 in Williams Lake, B.C. Broadcast 10 years after the school closed, it provides what is likely the most complete visual overview of the grounds as they were when the school was in operation, an important historical record. The structures have since been demolished and in 2022, 93 potential burial sites, presumed to be the graves of children, were uncovered.

We hear from survivors in the recent aftermath of their time at the school. Clergy who ran the school are asked directly about sexual abuse allegations, both personal and systemic. The term generational trauma was not yet in common use when this documentary was produced, but it nevertheless attempts to grapple with the lasting harm that the Canadian government and Catholic and Protestant churches caused Indigenous people in a system built on forced separation, assimilation and emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

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Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools and those who are triggered by the latest reports. A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.

You can watch our 2022 documentary on the Kamloops Indian Residential School, ‘The reckoning: Secrets unearthed by Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc,’ here:    • Kamloops residential school survivors reca...  
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About The Fifth Estate: For four decades The Fifth Estate has been Canada's premier investigative documentary program. Hosts Bob McKeown, Gillian Findlay and Mark Kelley continue a tradition of provocative and fearless journalism. The Fifth Estate brings in-depth investigations that matter to Canadians — delivering a dazzling parade of political leaders, controversial characters and ordinary people whose lives were touched by triumph or tragedy.