'Canada's responsibility to bear': PM on unmarked graves found near former Sask. residential school
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that the hurt and trauma being felt by Indigenous people as a result of the Cowessess First Nation announcing the discovery of an estimated 751 unmarked graves near the former Marieval residential school in Saskatchewan is “Canada’s responsibility to bear.”
In a statement, Trudeau said that his heart is broken over this finding and promised federal funding and resources will continue to be provided to “bring these terrible wrongs to light.”
“While we cannot bring back those who were lost, we can – and we will – tell the truth of these injustices, and we will forever honour their memory,” Trudeau said.
“The findings in Marieval and Kamloops are part of a larger tragedy. They are a shameful reminder of the systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice that Indigenous peoples have faced – and continue to face – in this country. And together, we must acknowledge this truth, learn from our past, and walk the shared path of reconciliation, so we can build a better future.”
In a subsequent interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller echoed that the government stands ready to provide the Cowessess First Nation whatever support it needs to navigate the investigative process.
“It could be national defence, transport and closing down airspace, depending how the situation evolves, or expertise that the federal government can bring to bear but it isn't our job to be the face of this but really to support those communities in that longer-term decision-making process,” he said.
Ottawa issued a notice to airmen to close off the airspace around the former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., following the discovery of 215 unmarked graves there.
While Miller didn’t provide the exact number of communities seeking to utilize federal dollars to embark on burial searches, he said there is a “significant” number of groups with the intention to do so and that it is sure to grow.
Asked also whether there should be a specific federal point person to oversee the many investigations taking place to uncover remains, Miller reiterated that the government is following the lead of Indigenous groups.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also spoke about the findings in Saskatchewan, saying that these institutions were “designed to kill Indigenous people,” and the federal government needs to do more than offer condolences, and implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls for actions, as well as stop the fight against Indigenous people in court.
“When I think about the school that I went to— the grade school I went to in Windsor— there are no burial sites on schools. That is not a normal thing,” Singh said.
The flags on federal buildings across the country remain at half-mast, a move made after the discovery at the former Kamloops school.
The Cowessess First Nation began radar scanning of the school grounds and surrounding area on June 1, following the Kamloops discovery. Other communities are also embarking on similar efforts.
“I'm worried that we might become desensitized when we see additional discoveries and we stop reeling from the impact, we have to realize these are little babies… These are children that were stolen from their homes, and then they were killed in these institutions, and that was the plan,” Singh said.
In a statement, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole called the news “heartbreaking” and said his party recognizes the “deep sorrow and mourning that all Indigenous people and survivors of residential schools are experiencing at this time.” He revived his call for the Liberals to act on the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action that directly relate to missing children before Canada Day, which he said Wednesday shouldn’t be cancelled, despite calls for it to be spent mourning and reflecting.
Chief Cadmus Delorme of the Cowessess First Nation emphasized during a news conference on Thursday that the findings were not from a mass grave but unmarked graves where headstones had been removed. The ground penetrating radar used to search the grounds marked 751 hits, but Delorme said there is a 10 to 15 per cent margin of error so the final figure could vary slightly.
The federal government has committed $27 million to assist Indigenous communities in locating and memorializing children who died at residential schools.
More than 145 residential schools operated in Canada, with the last closing in the late 1990s. The federal government has estimated 150,000 First Nation, Metis, and Inuit students attended these institutions.
“There will be hundreds more unmarked graves and burial sites located across our First Nations lands at the sites of former Indian Residential Schools,” Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron said in statement. “There are thousands of families across our Treaty territories that have been waiting for their children to come home.”
On CTV’s Power Play later in the day, Cameron had a stark message for the Catholic Church, which, despite overseeing the majority of residential schools in Canada, has not formally apologized for the damage it caused to Indigenous people.
“You must embark on a journey with our First Nations survivors and decedents and be part of the healing process. Come to our regions and pick one residential school site and apologize with sincerity and a pure heart, a kind heart,” he said.
With files from CTV News’ Brooke Taylor
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line is: 1 (800) 721-0066.
A 24-hour crisis line for residential school survivors is: 1 (866) 925-4419 if you require further emotional support or assistance.
------------------------------------------
IN DEPTH
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney dies at 84
Former Canadian prime minister and Conservative stalwart Brian Mulroney has died at age 84. Over his impressive career, the passionate and ambitious politician, businessman, husband, father, and grandfather left an unmistakable mark on the country.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
The first public hearings on foreign interference in Canada have begun. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions got underway this week. Heading into this process, here's what you need to know.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
opinion Don Martin: Pierre Poilievre's road to apparent victory will soon start to get rougher
Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives appear to be on cruise control to a rendezvous with the leader's prime ministerial ambition, but in his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin questions whether the Conservative leader may be peaking too soon.
opinion Don Martin: The Trudeau lessons from Brian Mulroney's legacy start with walking away
Justin Trudeau should pay very close attention to the legacy treatment afforded former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who died on Thursday at age 84, writes columnist Don Martin.
opinion Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report
It's been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chretien government after it 'broke just about every rule in the book' in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal. In his column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says the book has been broken anew with everything that went on behind the scenes of the 'dreaded' ArriveCan app.
opinion Don Martin: Despite his horrible year, Trudeau's determined to roll the dice again
In his column for CTVNews.ca, political commentator Don Martin says you can't help but admire Justin Trudeau's defiance and audacity of hope despite his 'horrible' 2023, as it appears Trudeau is insisting on leading the Liberals into the next federal election.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
For the first time in report's history, Canada's air quality worse than U.S.
Thanks to wildfires, air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report.
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
DEVELOPING Canada's annual inflation rate ticked down to 2.8 per cent in February, defying expectations
Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate edged down to 2.8 per cent in February.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.