Did the French do anything different? Don't know if it's stupid or not.
I personally can only speak for American Indian history, but if you want to search Canadian records, be sure to include the term "First Nations", which is very common north of the border; you'll get more results. Good luck!
I can't provide direct information, but I can direct you to some interesting, relevant points in Canadian history. The Northwest Rebellion lead to further settlement and policing of the west, and the earlier Red River Rebellion set the stage for the Northwest Rebellion and created the province of Manitoba.
Residential schools were also created in Canada to "achieve assimilation" according to the Bagot Report