The 1996 report of the Royal Commission of Aboriginal Peoples contained recommendations to improve relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians, including education as one of the key steps to reconciliation.
[1] In response to these recommendations, KAIROS, a Canadian faith-based ecumenical organization, developed the program in 1997 in consultation with Indigenous elders and representatives.
[2] The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 again identified education as a key area for improving relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, after which the blanket exercise grew in popularity.
[5][6] The facilitator, playing the role of a European "settler", walks the group through a script, telling the story of the first contact between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
[5] As the script progresses, blankets are folded and made smaller, representing the results of the loss of land by treaty and newly legislated reserves.