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“Does the Church Really Care?”: the Indigenous Policies of the Anglican, Presbyterian, and United Churches of Canada, 1946-1990

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“Does the Church Really Care?”: the Indigenous Policies of the Anglican, Presbyterian, and United Churches of Canada, 1946-1990 “DOES THE CHURCH REALLY CARE?”: THE INDIGENOUS POLICIES OF THE ANGLICAN, PRESBYTERIAN, AND UNITED CHURCHES OF CANADA, 1946-1990 A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the Department of History University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Carling C. Beninger © Carling Christina Beninger, July 2018. All rights reserved. Permission to Use In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Request for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of History Room 522, Arts Building 9 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A5 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i Abstract This dissertation analyzes the Indigenous policies of the Anglican, Presbyterian, and United Churches of Canada from 1946 to 1990. In 1951, upon examination of its Indigenous policies, the federal government’s Indigenous education policy shifted from religious segregated residential schools to educating Indigenous children in secular provincial schools with non- Indigenous children, a process called school integration. With the federal government’s decision to close down the residential school system, the Protestant churches, facing a decline in their role in Indigenous education, sought to re-examine their Indigenous policies. This dissertation argues that, although the timelines were different, all three Protestant churches’ Indigenous policies evolved from assimilation to recognizing their detrimental role in colonization. This shift was evident in 1960 as the Protestant institutions supported Indigenous people retaining their special rights, including Indian status and treaty rights, and culture while integrating into Canadian society, thus marking a distinct departure from assimilation. The Protestant churches’ Indigenous policies shifts are further evident throughout the 1970s and 1980s when the institutions supported Aboriginal rights, and by 1990 all three churches had Indigenous-driven governance structures in place at the national level. This dissertation further argues that the changes to the Protestant churches’ Indigenous policies from 1946 to 1990 developed the groundwork for future reconciliation efforts regarding the residential school system. When the residential school legacy surfaced in the 1990s, the Protestant Churches were shocked. However, after signing the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement in 2007 the Protestant Churches were able to focus on reconciliation ii efforts and fall back on the work they had done in reforming their relationships with Indigenous people prior to the legacy surfacing. The relationship of the Protestant churches with Indigenous people in post-World War Two Canada is understudied. This dissertation of the comparative analysis of the Protestant churches’ evolution of their Indigenous policies is a first of its kind. It contributes to Canadian history, Indigenous history, and Church history while filling a historiographical gap in Indigenous-Church history in Canada. iii Acknowledgements During my time as a graduate student at the University of Saskatchewan there were many people who supported me along the way. I am very fortunate that Dr. Jim Miller took me on as his last graduate student. I would like to thank him for his hard work in seeing me to the end. It has been an honour to have him as my supervisor. I would also like to thank my committee, Dr. Ken Coates, Dr. Valerie Korinek, Dr. Bill Waiser, and Dr. Christopher Trott for their expertise and helpful feedback. I would further like to thank Dr. Kathryn Labelle for her mentorship. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Ashleigh Androsoff for her guidance on career development. I would like to extend a thank you to all the interviewees that participated in this project: Stephen Allen, Donna Bomberry, Jim Boyles, Peter Bush, Mark DeWolf, Alf Dumont, Stephen Kendall, John Leslie, Mark MacDonald, Stuart Macdonald, Maggie McLeod, Lea Meadows, David Philips, and Bill Phipps. Their insight was invaluable to this project. I would also like to acknowledge the work of the Presbyterian Church’s archivists Kim Arnold and Bob Anger. They have been so welcoming and helpful over the years. Additionally, Nancy Hurn and Laurel Parson at the Anglican Church’s General Synod Archives were equally welcoming and helpful during my archival research trips. The archivists at the United Church’s archives were also very accommodating. I have been lucky to go through this process with supportive colleagues. Over the years, the support of many graduate students has been invaluable. I would like to extend special thanks to Scott Berthelette, Michelle Desveaux, Jessica DeWitt, Glenn Iceton, Anne Janhunen, Laura Larson, Karissa Patton, Erin Spinney, and Cheryl Troupe. iv Lastly, I would like to thank my family for the incomparable support throughout my graduate studies. I am forever grateful for the time my parents, Michael and Nicci, took to read drafts of my work and their ongoing encouragement. My sisters, Christina and Stefanie, although in different continents, were always available to offer guidance and support. v Dedication I dedicate my dissertation to my wonderful Grandparents, Enid and Bill. vi Table of Contents Permission to Use …………………………….……………………………………………………i Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………………...ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………….……………iv Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………………vi Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………………………..vii List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………………..viii List of Abbreviations ………………………………………………………………………….......x Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………….1 Chapter One: Towards School Integration: The Special Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons to Re-Examine the Indian Act, 1946-1948………………………………...57 Chapter Two: Indigenous Work in the 1950s……………………………………………………75 Chapter Three: The Special Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Commons on Indian Affairs, 1959-1960 ………………………………………………………………………………96 Chapter Four: The Protestant Churches Pursue Reforms, 1960-1969…………………………..117 Chapter Five: The Protestant Churches’ Evolving Relationship with Indigenous People, 1960- 1969 …………………………………………………………………………………………….141 Chapter Six: Supporting Aboriginal Rights: Three Case Studies from the 1970s …………….166 Chapter Seven: The Development of Indigenous Leadership in the Protestant Churches, 1970- 1990 …………………………………………………………………………………………….204 Conclusion ………………………………………………………….…………………………..241 Appendix A ………………………………………………………………………….…….……250 Appendix B…………………………………………………………………….…….………….251 Bibliography …………………………………………………………………….……………...253 vii List of Figures Figure Number Page 0.1: The Presbyterian Church in Canada Governance Structure……………………………….….8 0.2: The Anglican Church of Canada Governance Structure………………………………….…..9 0.3: The United Church of Canada Governance Structure…………………………………….…10 0.4: Membership Statistics, 1947-1992……………………………………………………….….13 0.5: Census Statistics, 1941-1991…………………………………………………………….…..14 0.6: Anglican Church’s Residential Schools and Hostels………………………………………..18 0.7: United Church’s Residential Schools and Hostels……………………………………..……19 0.8: The Presbyterian Church’s Residential Schools after 1925…………………………………20 0.9: Anglican Church’s Ecclesiastical Provinces and Dioceses Map……………………….……21 0.10: Newspaper, Governing Bodies, and Leader Terminology…………………………….…...48 0.11: Average Number of Newspaper Articles on Indigenous Peoples per Decade………..……50 0.12: Total Number of Articles Published on Indigenous People in National Protestant Churches’ Newspapers, 1946-1990……………………………………………………………………….…51 0.13: Interviews Conducted………………………………………………………………….…...52 1.1: Sergeant Tommy Prince and his brother Private Morris Prince from Brokenhead Ojibway Nation……………………………………………………………………………………….……58 1.2: Churches’ Representatives Sent to the SJC, 1947………………………………….………..62 1.3 Class at All Saints Residential School, Lac La Ronge, Saskatchewan, March 1945….……..66 2.1: D. B. Marsh, All Saints Church, Aklavik, June, 1950………………………………………90 2.2: Indigenous Children at La Tuque Residential School, between 1963-1969………………...92 3.1: Senator James Gladstone, 1958……………………………………………………………...98 viii 3.2: Protestant Churches’ Representatives Sent to SJCIA, 1960……………………………….101 3.3: Staff and Boarders of St. Agnes’ Hostel, Whitehorse, Yukon…………………….……….111 4.1: Canadian Churchman cover, May 1969…………………………………………………...137
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