<P> In Canada, the Indian residential school system was a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples . The network was funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by Christian churches . The school system was created for the purpose of removing children from the influence of their own culture and assimilating them into the dominant Canadian culture . Over the course of the system's more than hundred - year existence, about 30% of, or around 150,000, Indigenous children were placed in residential schools nationally . The number of school related deaths remains unknown due to an incomplete historical record, though estimates range from 3,200 upwards of 6,000 . </P> <P> The system had its origins in laws enacted before Confederation, but was primarily active from the passage of the Indian Act in 1876 . An amendment to the Indian Act in 1884 made attendance at day schools, industrial schools, or residential schools compulsory for First Nations children . Due to the remote nature of many communities, school locations meant that for some families residential schools were the only way to comply . The schools were intentionally located at substantial distances from Indigenous communities to minimize contact between families and their children . Indian Commissioner Hayter Reed argued for schools at greater distances to reduce family visits, which he thought counteracted efforts to civilize Indigenous children . Parental visits were further restricted by the use of a pass system designed to confine Indigenous peoples to reserves . The last federally operated residential school closed in 1996 . Schools operated in every province and territory with the exception of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island . </P>

Who set up the indian residential schools in canada
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