Canada will amend the citizenship oath and guide in order to include Indigenous people. The Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino, has announced the changes on June 14.
As per the announcement by the immigration minister, Indigenous people will soon win back their traditional name on the documents of Canadian citizenship and permanent residence.
Apart from that, Canada will also update the current citizenship guide and will include the position of Indigenous People in Canada’s history. The updated guide will focus on the chronicles of Indigenous People, including the part related to residential schools.
The Catholic Church operated the functioning of Canadian residential schools. The government of Canada sponsored such schools between 1831 and 1996. Children who attended the residential school were separated from their families and thousands of them even died.
The federal government announced the amendment in citizenship guide after the recent discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children. Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, asked Pope Francis to apologize for the heinous acts committed by the Catholic church in residential schools.
Besides the amendment to the Oath of Canadian citizenship, the government has also announced changes to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This commission was founded to inform the people of Canada about what happened in residential schools.
