Indigenous children housed at Catholic-run Good Shepherd Homes in Canada, such as the Mapleridge Residential Treatment Centre for Girls, endured experiences similar to those at residential schools, according to the final report of the Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves. The report highlights that Indigenous girls, often labeled as “delinquent,” were transferred from residential schools to these homes, where they faced abuse and mistreatment. Cree Elder Taz Bouchier recalled being taken to Mapleridge in 1971, describing it as a traumatic experience where children were essentially “kidnapped” from their communities without explanation.
The history of the Good Shepherd Homes, which operated across Canada, is poorly documented. These homes were run by the same Catholic Order that ran Ireland’s Magdalen Laundries, where women were subjected to forced labor and abuse. The report links the abuse of Indigenous girls in these homes to the broader system of colonial oppression. Many girls at Mapleridge were sexually abused by male staff, leading to pregnancies. Wisteria Community Association Vice President, John Boyes, emphasized that the treatment of these girls was akin to the systemic abuse suffered by children in residential schools.
The Archdiocese of Edmonton, which oversees the building, acknowledged the historical abuse but denied unresolved complaints. Survivors, like Barb Beaulieu and Taz Bouchier, have struggled to have Mapleridge included in the residential school settlement, and now plan to pursue a class-action lawsuit, though they feel their lost childhoods can never be fully compensated.
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