Chrétien, while Indian affairs minister, knew of 'problems' at notorious residential school: letter

WARNING: This story contains distressing details

Jean Chrétien, while he was minister of Indian affairs, said he knew of "problems" at a residential school in northern Ontario which has since emerged as one of the notorious institutions for the abuse of children, according to a letter provided to CBC News.

Chrétien has denied being aware of abuse in the residential school system when he headed the ministry.

Chrétien sent the Feb. 6, 1969, type-written letter in response to a hand-written one addressed to him by a former teacher who quit her post over conditions at St. Anne's residential school, which sat along the James Bay coast in Fort Albany First Nation.

"I have looked into the situation and have obtained a full report on it from our regional superintendent of schools," wrote Chrétien.

"You may rest assured, however, that we are aware of the problems which exist at that location and are doing what we can to correct them."

The former teacher's letter said that the members of Catholic orders who ran the school had a "prejudicial" attitude toward the Indigenous children who were taught in a "sterile, rigid and unloving" environment. 

Chrétien, 87, told a popular Radio-Canada talk show on Sunday that he never heard about abuse at residential schools while he was minister of Indian affairs, a post he held from 1968 to 1974.

"This problem was never mentioned when I was minister. Never," he said during his appearance on Tout le Monde en Parle.

CBC News sent Chrétien's letter to a representative of the former prime minister, but did not receive a response.

The letter was one of at least four reports, as previously reported, that the department received while Chrétien was minister alleging mistreatment of children at St. Anne's, according to federal government records. 

One said a teacher kept weapons and ammunition in class to scare children and that the same teacher faced allegations of beating one student and kicking another. A separate report said one staffer had been "reprimanded for offering alcohol to a minor" staying at the school residence and convincing her to drink it.

Government records show Chrétien's department received similar reports from other residential schools. A staff member also pleaded guilty of indecent assault for fondling girls at the Alert Bay residential school in B.C. in 1970.

Since then, through the testimony of survivors, the full scope of the physical, sexual and psychological abuse children suffered at St. Anne's — which closed in 1976 — has surfaced. School staff there also used an electric chair on children as punishment and sport, a police investigation revealed.