ABOUT SISCC

The Survivors of Independent Schools Coalition Canada (SISCC) was founded by survivors who recognized that abuse and educational harm within Canada’s independent schools have too often been excluded from public discussion, government policy, and broader reconciliation and accountability efforts. For decades, many survivors carried their experiences in silence. They were left without meaningful recognition, coordinated support, or clear pathways to accountability. SISCC was created to change that—to bring survivors together, amplify their voices, document their experiences, and advocate for lasting systemic reform. Independent schools are not public schools. They are privately owned or operated by individuals, organizations, religious bodies, or other non-government authorities. However, depending on the province and the school’s classification, many receive public funding to educate Canadian children. In Saskatchewan, for example, qualified and certified independent schools may receive provincial funding when they meet prescribed criteria. Despite receiving public funds, independent schools operate under separate legislative and regulatory frameworks. Their governance, staffing, curriculum, reporting, and oversight requirements are not always identical to those imposed on public school divisions. Saskatchewan’s government has itself introduced successive reforms intended to make independent-school requirements more similar to those governing public school divisions—an acknowledgment that meaningful regulatory differences have existed. When publicly funded schools are permitted to operate under different standards, accountability structures, or oversight systems, gaps can emerge. Those gaps can leave children vulnerable—particularly when complaints are not documented, inspections are insufficient, conflicts of interest are not addressed, or institutional reputation is prioritized over student safety. SISCC believes that every child deserves the same fundamental protections, regardless of whether they attend a public, private, faith-based, alternative, or independent school. We are not a government agency, and we are not an organization created by people speaking on behalf of survivors. We are survivors building an organization for survivors. Through survivor-led research, confidential data collection, public education, policy advocacy, and direct engagement with governments, SISCC works to ensure that survivor experiences inform stronger laws, more effective oversight, greater institutional accountability, and safer schools for future generations.

For decades, survivors of these institutions carried their experiences largely in silence, without the recognition, resources, or legal pathways available to survivors of federally-operated schools. SISCC was created to change that — to give survivors a collective voice, a community of peers, and an organization that fights for their rights.

We are not a government agency. We are not a charity run by non-survivors. We are survivors, building something for survivors.

SURVIVOR VOICES ADVANCING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING

SISCC gives survivors meaningful opportunities to use their lived experience to educate the public, contribute to research, shape policy recommendations, and advocate for safer schools. Members may participate in surveys, consultations, reports, public education, committees, or advocacy initiatives. Participation is always voluntary, and survivors retain control over whether their experiences are shared anonymously, in aggregate, or publicly. By bringing survivor knowledge into public discussion and government decision-making, SISCC works to strengthen accountability and improve protections for children attending independent schools today.