Dr. Kristin Burnett
Kristin Burnett is a Professor in the Department of Indigenous Learning. She did her BA and MA in History at the University of Calgary and completed her PhD at York University in 2006. Following a brief stint as a SSHRC post-doctoral fellow at the University of Alberta, Burnett came to work at Lakehead University in the Department of History in January of 2007 before transferring to the Department of Indigenous Learning in August of 2012.
Burnett is a settler scholar whose research interests can broadly be defined as: Indigenous history, settler colonial and critical race studies, women and gender history, the social history of health and medicine, and Canadian history. Burnett has published broadly on topics related to Indigenous health and well-being, and much of her current research and policy work engages with systemic barriers people face accessing health care, social services and supports, and food.
December 12, 2024
Author’s statement on our report “The Role of the YWCA in Residentials Schools and Indian Hospitals in Canada”
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Lakehead University respectfully acknowledges its campuses are located on the traditional lands of Fort William First Nation, signatory to the Robinson Superior Treaty of 1850 and the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Pottawatomi nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy.
We acknowledge that the geographic area that has come to be known as Canada currently resides on lands and territories stolen from Indigenous nations. We recognize that the violent practices and structures of settler colonialism are ongoing and continue to seek to erase the pre-existing cultural, political, and economic systems and networks of Indigenous peoples. We extend our respect to the Elders both past and present and to all the Indigenous peoples who are the traditional custodians of Turtle Island.
We honour the Survivors of Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals, the descendants and intergenerational Survivors, and the children who never came home to their families and communities.
Responding to YWCA Canada’s Request for Proposals
In the fall of 2019, we (Drs. Kristin Burnett and Shannon Stettner), noticed a request for proposals placed by YWCA Canada. They were seeking researchers to undertake “Historical and Archival Research” (the request for proposals is available below) to understand “the YWCA’s involvement and legacy with Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals” in the geographic area that came to be known as Canada. We responded to, interviewed for, and were awarded a contract for Call 1/Project A.
The project was woefully underfunded from the start, with a budget of only $14,500. Because of the severe budget limitations, the report we produced focused on a limited set of institutional records. At the time, we believed asking Indigenous community members to share their trauma without appropriate support was unethical and would have created an exploitive process from which only YWCA Canada would have benefitted. Despite the project limitations, we answered the call because we were excited the YWCA was undertaking this work in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Calls to Action. We saw it is an important first step towards better understanding the ways in which philanthropic and charitable organizations supported Residential School and Indian Hospital systems in Canada.
Research and Reporting Writing Timeline
Unfortunately, before we could begin our research, in early 2020 a State of Emergency was declared, and stay-at-home orders were issued in response to the beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic. All public institutions were closed, including Library and Archives Canada where many of YWCA Canada’s records currently reside. It was not until Autumn 2021 that we were able to access the YWCA files at Library and Archives Canada. Even then, access remained severely limited. However, in the short period of time we were allotted by Library and Archives Canada, we were able to review 20 boxes of files and left with more than 5,000 images to examine. Our report was submitted to YWCA Canada in May 2022 and re-submitted with minor revisions in August 2022. Thereafter, we were not involved in any processes that took place within YWCA Canada.
Delayed Release of the Report
Based on the request for proposals and our interactions with YWCA Canada employees, it was our understanding the report would be released by YWCA Canada in a timely manner along with a commitment to learn from its findings. Recently (September 2024), we learned the report had been “embargoed” for more than two years. We also learned YWCA Canada was preparing to release a summary report of the findings written by a consulting company in lieu of the full report, making the report available only upon request. We think releasing a summary report instead of our full report obscures important context and explanation that is necessary to fully understand the report and its findings.
Heeding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action
The report contains many uncomfortable, problematic, and racist statements along with actions made and undertaken by the YWCA and its members. Only making the report available upon request produces additional barriers to access and further conceals the ways in which the YWCA benefited from or supported the day-to-day operations of Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) made all its reports freely available online because its mandate “was to inform all Canadians about what happened in Residential Schools.” Woven throughout the 94 Calls to Actions is the need for people to educate themselves about the history and legacy of Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals in Canada.
In support of the Calls to Action issued by the TRC in 2015, we post the August 2022 version of the report below. As we stated in the report “The Calls to Action challenge all Canadians to see the work of reconciliation more broadly, as the beginning of an active process of redress that includes recognizing those systems in operation that actively harm Indigenous peoples. Recognizing these systems is a necessary first step in being able to undo them. Importantly, the undoing process requires education, the acknowledgment of many uncomfortable truths, and action.”
We acknowledge much more work remains to be done to understand the personal experiences of Indigenous Peoples and the historical and ongoing impacts the work of YWCA Canada and its member associations have on Indigenous Peoples and their communities. Importantly, moving forward this work must be led by Indigenous Peoples and fully funded by YWCA Canada and its members associations in an ethical manner.
Kristin Burnett and Shannon Stettner
Content warning: The content of the report could cause harm and be retraumatizing. We apologize and acknowledge the impact this will cause. We understand that Indigenous readers are fully aware of historic and current colonial violence. With this in mind and with compassion, we invite readers to take their time and to draw on mental health supports and community, when necessary, as they review this report. We have included Indigenous focused supports below:
Please contact the 24-hour Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 or the Hope for Wellness Helpline at 1-855-242-3310, if you require support.
Documents:
K. Burnett and S. Stettner, “The Role of YWCA Canada in Canada’s Residential Schools and Indian Hospitals,” (August 2022).
YWCA Request for Proposal for Archival Research (Project B) and Gender Based Needs Assessment (Project B).
*Please note, SSARG was dissolved in 2023 so that Shannon Stettner could pursue another employment opportunity.