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The devastating discoveries at the sites of former Residential Schools across our land have been agonizing reminders of the unnecessary and cruel losses Indigenous communities have sustained, and how far we have yet to go to reach true and meaningful reconciliation.
 
In the past, Canada Day has been a day of celebration – but now, it must be a day of somber reflection, a day of mourning for the children lost, a day of kindness as we work to support the families forever hurt by this horrific injustice.
 
Tomorrow … must be a day of action and resolve.
 
The tragic news coming from Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, Cowessess First Nation and the Lower Kootenay Band reminds us that the Federal government, the provinces, the churches and Canadian society still have a long way to go to arrive at true reconciliation with Indigenous nations across this land.
 
Six years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded its work and released its final report. It made 94 Calls to Action–to date it is unclear how many of those have been completed. In December 2020, the Yellowhead Institute reported only eight Calls to Action are complete. Today, we call on Canada to do the following:
 
  1. Immediately implement the remaining TRC Calls to Action – with particular attention to Volume 4 of the Final Report;
  2. Commit to a process to engage Métis governments across Canada to ensure the Métis experience within residential, boarding and day schools is finally told and addressed;
  3. Fully implement Jordan’s Principle;
  4. Amend Canada’s laws to allow for the criminal prosecution of those who committed crimes at Residential Schools;
  5. Acknowledge that the purpose of the Residential School system was the removal of Indigenous peoples from their lands in order to make way for settlement and resource extraction – and reform and implement a timely, effective and efficient Land-Back based policy for settling indigenous land related issues, including Métis land claim policy.
 
Thoughts and prayers are no longer enough to bring true reconciliation.
 
 
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