Federal commitments still outstanding, nearly a year since first residential school burial site discovery
Federal commitments still outstanding, nearly a year since first residential school burial site discovery
Federal commitments still outstanding, nearly a year since first residential school burial site discovery
Almost a year since the first reported discovery of a burial site at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, the federal government provided an update on the promises it has made since to “lift up the truth,” many of which are still a work in progress.
Crown Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller on Monday acknowledged that while the government has made steps on the path to reconciliation, “it’s been too slow.”
“We know that reconciliation doesn’t come easily but we remain committed to making further progress by addressing the past wrongs and the current impacts that are still felt today,” he said during a press conference in Ottawa.
The minister touched on a previously announced pledge to create a residential schools national monument in Ottawa, but with no clear timeline on when construction would start, and on another promise in Budget 2022 to provide $25 million over three years to Library and Archives Canada to support the digitization of documents relating to the federal Indian Day School system.
Another $78.3 million more has been distributed to Indigenous communities to support more than 70 initiatives in research, knowledge gathering, commemoration, memorialization and field work investigation around the sites of former residential school sites, Miller said.
On May 27, 2021, Chief Rosanne Casimir of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation declared that the remains of 215 children had been found at the site of the former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
Although that figure was later revised to 200, hundreds more unmarked graves have been identified across the country in the months since, with dozens of additional searches currently ongoing or being planned.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were mostly forced from their families to attend the boarding schools from the late 1800s to 1996, with the goal of replacing Indigenous languages and culture with English and Christian beliefs.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which released its final report on the residential school system in 2015, says at least one in every 50 students died, with 4,100 having officially died, although the number is believed to be much higher.
Miller refuted a question from a member of the media suggesting that Monday’s news conference could have been perceived as government officials’ attempt to pat themselves on the back ahead of the grim anniversary, without announcing any new funding or initiatives.
“This is a process of reckoning and giving Canadians a snapshot of what we need to do as a country to be better and move forward in a way that we haven’t done in the past. So if anyone thought that we were going to stand here today and look for good press, you’ve totally missed the point and if that’s on me, it’s on me,” he said.
“The point is about showing Canadians that we’re trying to put our best foot forward about a very painful part of our history.”
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu echoed a similar sentiment.
“The process of truth is not a one-time announcement. It’s not a specific day. It’s not a specific investment. The process of coming to a realization for many Canadians last summer that Indigenous children not only were apprehended from schools and placed in residential schools …that was information for many Canadians,” Hajdu said.
“So part our journey as a government, as a country, as nations is telling each other the truth as we uncover it.”
Hajdu noted that as of this spring, her department has begun consultations with all First Nations who had a former residential school on reserve to determine the “wishes” of that community in how it would like to proceed.
She also touched on funding for enhanced mental health services, culture-based learning, and trauma-informed supports.
Justice Minister David Lametti meanwhile, provided an update on Ottawa’s proposal to appoint an independent special interlocutor who would liaise with First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities and the government on a new legislative framework to ensure culturally-appropriate treatment of the burial sites.
“We are now getting close to an appointment and there will be news to share very soon,” he said. “Sometimes good things take time.”
Budget 2022 sets aside $10.4 million over two years for Justice Canada to support the appointment of the interlocutor.
In relation to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action 72 through to 76 – centred on missing children and burial information – the ministers said Ottawa’s total investment in this area is “well over a half a billion dollars.”
The update comes following the Vatican’s announcement last Friday that Pope Francis is set to travel to Canada this summer to deliver an apology to Indigenous communities.
The scheduled trip to Alberta, Quebec, and Nunavut from July 24 to 29 is being met with mixed reactions as some are disappointed he won’t travel to provinces such as Saskatchewan, where many of Canada's residential schools were located.
With files from CTV News’ Michael Lee and Maggie Parkhill
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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 at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
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