KAMLOOPS, BC –
An unmarked cemetery at a former housing school in Kamloops, British Columbia, has prompted Canadians to pay for their country’s history and relations with indigenous peoples, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
The prime minister made the remarks after a memorial gathering in Kamloops to mark a year since the nation’s Tk’emlups te Secwepemc announced that a military gravesite expert had found the remains of up to 215 children at the site of the former school.
“It was a difficult year for the survivors and their families,” Trudeau told an evening news conference. “It has been a difficult year for Canadians as well. We have a long way to go to reconcile.”
Trudeau admitted that his presence at the ceremony created tension among some people, but others “told me they were happy to be here”.
He received a strong and stern reception during his presence at the all-day memorial held at the PowWow national pavilion, which was attended by hundreds of people.
“It was an opportunity to get together, to talk about progress in partnership,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau was followed by a large group of people attending the memorial, chanting and drumming as he stopped in the stands, talking face to face with people and often exchanging hugs with others.
“We still have a lot to do,” Trudeau was heard saying to an elderly woman he was talking to and hugging.
Others did not appear friendly, chanting, “All of Canada is Indian land,” and “We don’t need your constitution.”
Trudeau told the crowd that he heard their worries.
“This is a time to realize that Canada is great as a country, we have made some terrible mistakes in the past,” he said.
Earlier Monday, Governor-General Mary Simon told the crowd that the atrocities, death, loss and silence of residential schools that the indigenous people had known for so long were now known to all.
“It is impossible to imagine a place to study so cruelly. “It is unforgivable that people can commit these atrocities or that people can remain silent while they have been committed,” she said.
A year ago, Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced that the graves had been discovered using ground-penetrating radar on the site of the former Indian housing school Kamloops.
They are believed to hold the remains of up to 215 children who died at the school, a discovery that led to the discovery of hundreds of other similar sites across the country and sparked a national calculation of Canada’s past and present relations with indigenous peoples.
Simon said that while the unmarked graves of children found around residential schools in Canada are called a discovery, for the survivors it is a confirmation of the experience and knowledge of the first nations passed down from generation to generation.
“It didn’t have to take that long, but people finally understood,” Simon said. “And knowledge transforms this community. “People have made a pilgrimage here to pay their respects, to say they are sorry, to show their support.”
Simon, Canada’s first indigenous governor-general, said many members of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc had not had time to grieve and hoped Monday’s event could contribute to their healing process. .
“We grieve with you. We stand with you. We trust you,” she said.
Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Chief or Kukpi7 Rosan Casimir told the memorial crowd that he hoped events over the past year would lead to reconciliation for indigenous peoples.
“The local population now wants to know about the real hidden history of this country. What we know is a good thing. These conversations, no matter how difficult, will lead to steps that we all need to take towards our collective history. ”
Casimir was part of a delegation to the Vatican, where the pope apologized last month for the Catholic Church’s role in the Canadian school system.
Although she said she was disappointed that the pope would not come to Kamloops during a planned visit in July, she was pleased that he would meet with other indigenous peoples in Canada.
Pope Francis will make stops in Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit during his visit.
Trudeau met with mass criticism last September when he did not attend the National Reconciliation Day ceremonies in Kamloops.
Casimir told those present at the memorial that Trudeau apologized for not coming to Kamloops last September.
“He owned it,” she said. “He expressed his regret for our unmarked graves. I recognize this as a good start.”
Kamloops school survivor John Jules said Monday’s memorial was an inspiring event. Jules takes part in a dance, where he walks around the pauau site with hundreds of people, young and old.
“It’s inspiring to have all our people together,” he said. “It brings healing to our people.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 23, 2022.
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