Canada's Dark Side: 7 Brutal Historical Truths They Don't Teach in School

Canada's Dark Side: 7 Brutal Historical Truths They Don't Teach in School

   Canada's Dark Side

   Grave markers at a former residential school site

   Grave markers at a former residential school site

   7 Brutal Historical Truths

   From forced sterilization to military atrocities, these dark chapters are rarely covered in standard Canadian history classes — yet they shaped the nation we know today.

While Canada prides itself on politeness and peacekeeping, its history contains disturbing episodes that textbooks often gloss over or omit entirely. These seven truths — backed by government records, survivor testimonies, and declassified documents — reveal a far more complicated past.

The 7 Brutal Truths

1. Residential Schools: Cultural Genocide & Mass Graves – Over 150,000 Indigenous children were forcibly removed from families; at least 6,000 died. Thousands of unmarked graves discovered since 2021.
2. Forced Sterilization of Indigenous Women (1933–2017) – Thousands of Indigenous women were sterilized without consent, some as late as the 2010s. Alberta and BC led the program longest.
3. The Duplessis Orphans: 20,000 Children Sold & Experimented On – Quebec’s Catholic Church and government labeled orphans as “mentally ill” to claim federal funds, then subjected them to psychiatric experiments and abuse (1940s–1960s).
4. Somalia Affair: Torture & Murder by Canadian Airborne Regiment – In 1993, Canadian soldiers beat a Somali teenager to death and posed for trophy photos. The entire elite regiment was disbanded — the only time in Commonwealth history.
5. Chinese Head Tax & Exclusion Act (1885–1947) – Canada charged Chinese immigrants up to $500 (two years’ wages) to enter, then banned all Chinese immigration for 24 years.
6. Komagata Maru: 376 Denied Entry, 20 Killed on Return – In 1914, Canada turned away a ship carrying mostly Sikh passengers. British forces in India fired on returnees, killing 20.
7. Japanese-Canadian Internment & Property Theft (1942–1949) – 22,000 Japanese-Canadians were uprooted, incarcerated, and had property sold off without consent — even though none were ever charged with disloyalty.

Ongoing Impact in 2025

Many survivors are still alive. Reconciliation efforts continue with billions in settlements, land-back agreements, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30).

See also

• Residential schools in Canada
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
• Indigenous peoples in Canada
• Human rights in Canada