Nicholas Flood Davin | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | October 18, 1901 | (aged 61)
Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
Resting place | Beechwood Cemetery |
Alma mater | Queen's College Cork |
Occupation(s) | Writer, publisher, politician |
Notable work | The Irishman in Canada, Davin Report |
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Assiniboia West | |
In office 1887–1900 | |
Preceded by | Electoral district created |
Succeeded by | Thomas Walter Scott |
Personal details | |
Political party | Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) |
Nicholas Flood Davin, KC (January 13, 1840 – October 18, 1901) was a lawyer, journalist and politician, born at Kilfinane, Ireland (then part of the United Kingdom).[1] The first MP for Assiniboia West (1887–1900), Davin was known as the voice of the North-West.
Davin founded and edited the Regina Leader, the first newspaper in Assiniboia. He tried to gain provincial status for the territory.
Davin is considered one of the architects of the Canadian Indian residential school system. In 1879 he wrote the Report on Industrial Schools for Indians and Half-Breeds, otherwise known as The Davin Report, in which he advised the federal government to institute residential schools for Indigenous children. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that the assimilation amounted to cultural genocide.[2]