Know the roots of Canada's incarceration of native children and see why effects linger. Kevin James Ward, Mikisew Cree, lives in beautiful Coast Salish traditional territory in Vancouver. He has done corporate communications work for B.C. aboriginal organizations the past 20 years. SHARES A class in penmanship at the Red Deer Indian School, Red Deer, Alta. 1914-19. Source: United Church of Canada archives. Many Canadians know that from the later part of the 19th century through much of the 20th, the federal government and various Christian denominations used residential schools as part of a broader effort to subjugate native peoples and colonize their lands. Less known, however, is the reason for choosing this particular institution as part of facilitating the colonial process.