Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
There are growing calls among Canadian Catholics for Pope Francis to come to Canada and issue an apology for the church's role in the residential school system.
More than 3,500 people have signed a petition on Change.org, calling on the church to take more accountability measures after the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children on the site of a former Catholic residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
The signatories want the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to invite the Pope to Canada and "make a public apology on behalf of the Church in Canada for our sins of commission and omission in the matter of Residential Schools."
"We are a group of lay people and clergy who are deeply disappointed with our official church – hurt, ashamed and saddened at the discovery of the graves of 215 Indigenous children in Kamloops," the petition says.
The petition was started by Monsignor Sam Bianco, a retired priest from Toronto. Signatories include clergy, academics, university administrators and a retired senator.
"The appalling and overriding truth is that the sufferings, pain and loss far outweigh any possible good from of the Residential Schools' work to educate. The legacy is overwhelmingly negative and destructive. It must now be addressed openly, fully and without reservation."
In addition to an apology, the petitioners are calling for the church to pay the $20 million in restitution that was originally part of a legal settlement agreement with residential school survivors in 2007, and to cover the cost of reinterment of the bodies of the children in Kamloops. They're also calling for all church records relating to residential schools to be accessible to Indigenous communities.
The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities in Canada (ACCUC), an organization representing more than 20 Catholic post-secondary institutions, also put out a statement on Monday calling for an apology from the Pope.
"We believe that the Holy Father’s apology will be important for addressing the Church’s reprehensible involvement in the federal residential school system, as well as serving as a critical start for the process of healing the multiple wounds of our Indigenous brothers and sisters," the ACCUC said in the statement.
Between the late 1800s to 1996, approximately 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were separated from their families and forced to attend boarding schools and were often subjected to physical and sexual abuse.
At least one in every 50 of these students died, according to the findings from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Over 60 per cent of residential schools were run by Catholic dioceses and orders across Canada. Indigenous activists and residential school survivors have long sought a formal public apology from the Pope for the Catholic Church's role in the residential school system.
On Sunday, the pontiff voiced his sorrow for the Kamloops discovery, but stopped short of giving an apology. His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI also expressed his sorrow for the residential school system during a private meeting with Indigenous leaders in 2009.
With files from CTV News’ Jeremiah Rodriguez.
---
If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.