Sir John set up residential schools to fast forward natives in education reading, writing, math and general understanding of the big world that was coming their way. Modern technology like the telegraph, urbanization and railroads were coming.   If natives were to remain cloistered and secluded on reserves, living in their stone age culture, their own demise was absolutely ensured.  It was not genocide but their survival that was at stake. Obviously, he was successful because natives survive today to complain about it.  No good deed goes unpunished.