What did the Residential Schools Act do?

• A. It introduced voluntary attendance.
• B. It made attendance at residential schools compulsory for First Nations children.
• C. It created a separate education department.
• D. It guaranteed funding for bilingual education.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is how government policy sought to assimilate Indigenous peoples by controlling where children received schooling. The Residential Schools Act helped enforce assimilation by making attendance mandatory for First Nations children. Through the Indian Act Amendment in 1920, authorities were given the legal power to require Indigenous children to attend residential schools and to penalize parents who did not send their children. This removal of choice was part of a broader goal to suppress Indigenous languages and cultures and to integrate Indigenous people into Euro-Canadian society.

Voluntary attendance would not align with the act’s purpose, which is why that option doesn’t fit. The idea of creating a separate education department or guaranteeing bilingual education also doesn’t capture the act’s focus, which was specifically on mandating attendance at residential schools.