Left out of the national apology and reconciliation process begun in 2008, survivors of residential schools in Labrador and Newfoundland received a formal apology from the Canadian government in 2017. This recognition finally brought them into the circle of residential school survivors across Canada, and acknowledged their experiences as similarly painful and traumatic.

For years, the story of residential schools has been told by the authorities who ran them. A Long Journey helps redress this imbalance by listening closely to the accounts of former students, as well as drawing extensively on government, community, and school archives. The book examines the history of boarding schools in Labrador and St. Anthony, and, in doing so, contextualizes the ongoing determination of Indigenous communities to regain control over their children’s education.

Andrea Procter is a historical anthropologist who focuses on settler colonialism and community-driven research. She has authored several books with Inuit partners, including TautukKonik: A Portrait of Inuit Life in Northern Labrador, 1969–1986 (Memorial University Press, 2022), and A Long Journey: Residential Schools in Labrador and Newfoundland (ISER Books, 2020), winner of the 2021 Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing, the CLIO Prize (Atlantic), and the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award for Non-Fiction. She earned a PhD from Memorial University and lives, hikes, and kayaks in St. John’s with her family.

Andrea Procter's profile page

• Short-listed, The Honourable Edward Roberts History Book Award
• Winner, Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award
• Short-listed, BMO Winterset Award
• Winner, Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing
• Winner, Clio Prize (Atlantic)
• Winner, Peter Cashin Prize

"A Long Journey does not just describe a historical moment; it is a part of it.'

John R.H. Matchim, The Canadian Historical Review

Essential reading for anyone wishing to learn about the history of residential schools in Canada and about the complexities of residential schooling across Canada…educational history of Canada is deficient without this book.

Tricia Logan, Historical Studies in Education

"Procter delivers the most thorough examination of its kind."

Jenn Thornhill Verma, Atlantic Books Today

"A Long Journey is a compelling, necessary read."

Joan Sullivan, The Telegram

"Andrea Procter's compelling and comprehensive book...amplifies and balances the personal and scholarly to provide a compassionate and measured depiction of the impacts felt by northern residents as a result of Moravian Mission and International Grenfell Association schools."

Jury, BMO Winterset Award