The time is now for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to finally act on his vow to create “transformative” policy and legal change for Indigenous people, says former cabinet minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.
The Independent MP for Vancouver-Granville spoke with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson following a week that forced the country to reckon with the grisly facts of its residential school system.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday expressed sorrow over the discovery in Canada of the remains of 215 Indigenous students of church-run boarding schools but didn’t offer the apology sought by the Canadian prime minister.
Francis, in remarks to faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, called on political and church authorities to work to shed light on what he called “this sad affair” and to foster healing.
No apology? Is it possible the Pope gets what the aboriginals don’t?
That Justin and his paid media are whipping this story into a froth to deflect from his sorry record.
Horwath’s office says the request was made in light of the discovery in Kamloops, B.C., of what are believed to be the remains of 215 Indigenous children at a former residential school.
Ryerson was one of the architects of Canada’s residential school system, which sought to convert and assimilate Indigenous children into Canadian culture and saw them suffer widespread physical and sexual abuse.
Two years after the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released its landmark report, the federal government today presented its response — a 30-page report promising a series of “transformative changes” to tackle the persistent inequities Indigenous people face when dealing with the justice system.
The ‘Federal Pathway’ report called for a holistic approach, co-developed with input from First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, to end the scourge of violence disproportionately directed at Indigenous women and gender-diverse people.
The plan includes government promises to spend more on Indigenous language, culture, infrastructure, health and policing. Ottawa will give communities more control over social services to ensure a culturally relevant approach to governance.
All of which will accomplish nothing unless Aboriginals stop killing one another.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trudeau was opening a meeting of mayors, smiling, giving shout-outs to retiring big-city leaders, before he switched – “First and foremost,” he said – to a 2½-minute statement about the failure of residential schools, and the national need for reconciliation. And then he went back to the urban agenda.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett said today that Roman Catholics need to demand better from their church — which has so far refused to apologize for its role in the residential school system or release documents that could shed light on unmarked burial sites.
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller also said it’s “shameful” that the church has so far ducked offering a clear apology to the many thousands of students who were forcibly confined at sites run by the church.
“Certainly, the Catholic friends that I speak to believe it should be done. There is a responsibility,” Miller said. “I think it is shameful that they haven’t done it, that it hasn’t been done to date.”
That took gall and of course it’s pure deflection. Besides the Catholic Church’s apology dance card is booked for the next several decades.
Also … Ottawa says it’s not liable for cultural damage caused by Kamloops residential school: court documents
The federal government is heading toward trial on a class-action lawsuit seeking reparations for the devastation residential schools inflicted on First Nation cultures, languages and communities.
The claim for reparations was originally part of a broader lawsuit filed in 2012 by the Tk’emlups te’ Secwepemc and shíshálh Nation in B.C. — along with residential school survivors known as day scholars — who were forced to attend Kamloops Indian Residential School and Sechelt Indian Residential School.
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing. (Says CBC)
The United Nations Human Rights Office urged Canada on Wednesday to do all it can to find the Indigenous children that died at residential schools, calling for an “exhaustive investigation” to uncover the remains of former students that may have been left in unmarked graves.
Marta Hurtado, a spokesperson for the UN body, said the federal government must “redouble its efforts to find the whereabouts of missing children” in the wake of a preliminary investigation at the former Kamloops Residential School in B.C. that revealed 215 children were buried on the grounds.
The UN has zero moral standing.
Cree lawyer Eleanore Sunchild has represented thousands of residential school survivors in Saskatchewan and other provinces.
Sunchild spoke with the CBC reporter Jason Warick about the recent announcement by the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation that it had discovered unmarked burial sites believed to contain 215 bodies near the former Kamloops, B.C., Indian residential school.
Sunchild planned to attend a vigil in North Battleford, Sask., Monday evening for these children and others who died attending other schools.
Native activist Pam Palmater used the word genocide so often in a recent interview that you’d be passed out drunk in less than 10 minutes were it a drinking game.
Technology uncovered remains at B.C. residential school but secrets still remain beneath the soil
“It’s not going to give you a black-and-white answer, but it’s going to pinpoint to the right direction most of the time. It’s not an exact survey,” GeoScan lead technician Peter Takacs said.
While some conclusions can be drawn from the data, experts in the field say there’s only one way to get 100 per cent certainty.
“You would have to dig,” Takacs said. “You would have to do a proper investigation. Nothing will essentially give you better results than daylighting.”
The mayors of Canada’s biggest cities are pressing the federal government to lay out a path to help house urban Indigenous people as part of a larger push to address homelessness in this country.
The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement has identified 139 residential schools across Canada — 25 of which were in Alberta. However, that number excludes schools that operated without federal support, such as those run by religious orders or provincial governments. Some schools also underwent name changes, or were relocated.
“North West stands with Indigenous Peoples in Canada who lost their loved ones within the Residential School system and we extend our caring thoughts to those directly impacted by the Kamloops discovery. This discovery is jarring and traumatic for Indigenous Peoples, and for all Canadians it starkly speaks to the physical conditions and racism that were forcibly endured under the Residential School system and the continuing pain created by it.
In a letter to the Speaker on Monday, Singh said questions need to be asked about the Kamloops residential school and other schools, and immediate concrete measures need to be taken.
“This discovery of these children last week is a sad reminder of Canada’s genocidal actions against Indigenous peoples,” Singh wrote to the Speaker of the House in a letter on Monday.
🚨BREAKING NEWS: Jagmeet Singh breaks down and gets emotional on National TV today
*Thoughts?#FirstNations #ResidentialSchool pic.twitter.com/LHiZ6j3gAe
— 🍁🇨🇦CanAditude🇨🇦🍁 (@CanAditude) May 31, 2021
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) is calling on the federal government and the Roman Catholic Church to take action following the discovery of the remains of 215 children buried on the Kamloops Indian Residential School grounds.
On Thursday, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation said preliminary findings from a ground-penetrating radar survey uncovered the remains. Since then, federal government officials and leaders have taken to social media and sent out news releases offering support.
I Think we should wait until the “radar” survey is substantiated.
The legislation would establish a new statutory holiday to commemorate the victims and survivors of Indigenous residential schools.
