OTTAWA—The federal government acknowledges some records of the pass system — the apartheid-like policy that forbade First Nations from leaving their reserves without written permission — were destroyed before anyone knew of their historical value.

“Historical records were disposed of as a result of normal government-wide record keeping reduction exercise throughout the past century. These activities were conducted throughout the government and modified overtime,” Valérie Hache, a spokeswoman for Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development Canada, wrote in an emailed response to a request for an explanation from the Star.

The pass system — the subject of a documentary by the same name directed by Toronto-based filmmaker Alex Williams — was brought in as a temporary emergency measure in response to the Northwest Rebellion led by Métis leader Louis Riel in 1885 and remained in effect for more than half a century, despite never having gone through Parliament.

Throughout the five years he spent researching the film, Williams could find only two of the passes at Library and Archives Canada.

He also found a letter from 1941 ordering all passes to be returned to Ottawa for destruction.

The response from the Indigenous Affairs department — the first since the film came out last year — confirms some of the details the Star reported last month as possible reasons for why the records have been so hard to find.

“Some records that were considered administrative or unnecessary at one time may be considered to have historical value that was not previously understood or anticipated. Other records were destroyed accidentally (fire, flooding, etc.),” Hache wrote.

The statement also made clear the pass system was a policy of the past and has no place in plans to renew the relationship between the federal government and First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.

“The Government of Canada is committed to a Nation to Nation relationship based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. The pass system is a vestige of past policies and it was abolished in 1941,” Hache wrote.

“Today, INAC is committed to working in genuine partnership with Indigenous partners and communities to advance the vital work of reconciliation,” she wrote.

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