A federal memo says indigenous residential school “denialism” is undermining reconciliation with First Nations groups, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations in its June 19 memo, entitled Combating Residential School Denialism, did not define what was meant by the term, “denialism.” No remains have been recovered to date.“As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission taught us, ‘Without truth, justice and healing there can be no genuine reconciliation,’” wrote the department. “Confronting the lasting impacts of the residential school system is a foundational aspect of reconciliation which denialism threatens to undermine.”“We must not deny what happened to indigenous children at residential schools across the country and the resulting pain and intergenerational trauma that still haunts survivors, families and communities,” said the note. “All Canadians have a role to play in learning about and addressing the ongoing impacts of residential schools.”The Senate Indigenous Peoples Committee in a 2023 report similarly proposed a federal ban on “denialism” without defining it. “Denialism serves to distract people from the horrific consequences of residential schools and the realities of missing children, burials and unmarked graves,” said the Senate report. “The committee is of the view that education and advocacy can effectively combat denialism,” it said. Senators recommended “that the Government of Canada take every action necessary to combat the rise of Residential School denialism.”Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2021 ordered the Peace Tower flag lowered for 161 days after the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced its discovery of unmarked graves of 215 children at the site of a former indigenous residential school in Kamloops, BC. Canadian flags across the nation were lowered for months. “I think Canadians have seen with horror those unmarked graves across the country and realize that what happened decades ago isn’t part of our history, it is an irrefutable part of our present,” Trudeau told reporters at the time.With no bodies found in subsequent investigations, the First Nation in Kamloops later clarified it believed there were “200 potential burial sites” but withheld its research.Details of expenditures for field work under a $7.9 million federal grant have been withheld by the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations under the Access To Information Act.The department in a separate June 19 note on “unmarked burials” said investigations were ongoing. “The truth about residential school unmarked burials continues to be revealed,” it said. “Funding is available.”A cabinet-appointed National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools, Missing Children and Unmarked Burials was overseeing the work, said the briefing note. “The committee brings together a diverse range of expertise that contributes to a holistic understanding of the search process including archival research, oral histories, archaeology and ground search technology, forensics, criminal investigations and community health and well-being,” it said.
A federal memo says indigenous residential school “denialism” is undermining reconciliation with First Nations groups, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations in its June 19 memo, entitled Combating Residential School Denialism, did not define what was meant by the term, “denialism.” No remains have been recovered to date.“As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission taught us, ‘Without truth, justice and healing there can be no genuine reconciliation,’” wrote the department. “Confronting the lasting impacts of the residential school system is a foundational aspect of reconciliation which denialism threatens to undermine.”“We must not deny what happened to indigenous children at residential schools across the country and the resulting pain and intergenerational trauma that still haunts survivors, families and communities,” said the note. “All Canadians have a role to play in learning about and addressing the ongoing impacts of residential schools.”The Senate Indigenous Peoples Committee in a 2023 report similarly proposed a federal ban on “denialism” without defining it. “Denialism serves to distract people from the horrific consequences of residential schools and the realities of missing children, burials and unmarked graves,” said the Senate report. “The committee is of the view that education and advocacy can effectively combat denialism,” it said. Senators recommended “that the Government of Canada take every action necessary to combat the rise of Residential School denialism.”Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2021 ordered the Peace Tower flag lowered for 161 days after the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced its discovery of unmarked graves of 215 children at the site of a former indigenous residential school in Kamloops, BC. Canadian flags across the nation were lowered for months. “I think Canadians have seen with horror those unmarked graves across the country and realize that what happened decades ago isn’t part of our history, it is an irrefutable part of our present,” Trudeau told reporters at the time.With no bodies found in subsequent investigations, the First Nation in Kamloops later clarified it believed there were “200 potential burial sites” but withheld its research.Details of expenditures for field work under a $7.9 million federal grant have been withheld by the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations under the Access To Information Act.The department in a separate June 19 note on “unmarked burials” said investigations were ongoing. “The truth about residential school unmarked burials continues to be revealed,” it said. “Funding is available.”A cabinet-appointed National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools, Missing Children and Unmarked Burials was overseeing the work, said the briefing note. “The committee brings together a diverse range of expertise that contributes to a holistic understanding of the search process including archival research, oral histories, archaeology and ground search technology, forensics, criminal investigations and community health and well-being,” it said.
