What did the Davin report recommend in 1879?

• A. The expansion of the railway to BC
• B. To establish residential schools to assimilate Indigenous peoples
• C. To grant autonomy to First Nations
• D. To relocate students to urban centers

Answer: (B)

The Davin report focuses on how Indigenous children should be educated as a means of assimilation. In 1879, Nicholas Flood Davin advised the Canadian government to establish residential schools where Indigenous children would be taken from their families and educated in English, taught Christian beliefs, and prepared to join Euro-Canadian society. The idea was that these schools would erase Indigenous languages and cultures and convert children to settler norms, a policy that led to a long-lasting residential school system. The other options don’t reflect this recommendation: the report wasn’t about railways, granting autonomy, or shifting students to urban centers; it centers on using education in residential settings to assimilate Indigenous peoples.