KAMLOOPS, BC –
An unmarked cemetery at the former residential school in Kamloops, BC, has made Canadians reflect on their country’s history and relations with Indigenous peoples, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
The Prime Minister made the remarks after a memorial meeting in Kamloops to commemorate a year since the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc nation announced that an expert on war graves had detected the remains of up to 215 children in the former school.
“It was a difficult year for the survivors and their families,” Trudeau told a news conference in the evening. “It was a difficult year for Canadians as well. We have a long way to go for reconciliation.”
Trudeau acknowledged that his presence at the ceremony created tensions between some people, but others “told me they were happy to have been here.”
He received a strong and severe reception during his attendance at a one-day memorial at the country’s PowWow Arbor, which was attended by hundreds of people.
“This was an opportunity to get together, to talk about moving forward in partnership,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau was followed by a large group of memory attendees who sang and played drums as he stopped in the stands, talking face to face with people and often exchanging hugs with others.
“We have so much more to do,” Trudeau heard himself say to an elderly woman he spoke to and hugged.
Others did not appear as friends, chanting, “Canada is all Indian land” and “We do not need your Constitution.”
Trudeau told the crowd that he felt his concerns.
“This is a time for us to realize that as great as Canada is as a country, we have made terrible mistakes in the past,” he said.
Earlier Monday, Gov. Mary Simon told the crowd that the atrocities, death, loss and silence of residential schools that indigenous peoples have known for so long are now known to all.
“It is unimaginable that a place of learning would be so cruel. It is inexcusable that people can commit these atrocities or that people remain silent while it was committed, “he said.
One year ago, the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced that the graves were detected by ground penetration radar at the site of the former Indian residential school in Kamloops.
They are believed to contain the remains of up to 215 children who died at school, a finding that led to the discovery of hundreds of other similar sites across the country and triggered a national account of the past and present relationship of the school. Canada with Indigenous Peoples.
Simon said that while the unmarked graves of children found around Canada’s residential schools have been called a discovery, for survivors it is the confirmation of First Nations experiences and knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
“It shouldn’t have taken that long, but eventually people know it,” Simon said. “And knowledge has transformed this community. People have made the pilgrimage here to show their respect, to say they are sorry, to show their support.”
Simon, who is the first Indigenous person in Canada to serve as governor general, said many members of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc have not had time to mourn and hope Monday’s event can contribute to their healing process. .
“We cry with you. We are with you. We believe you,” he said.
The head of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc or Kukpi7, Rosanne Casimir, told the crowd at the memorial that she hopes last year’s events will lead to the reconciliation of indigenous peoples.
“Non-indigenous people now want to know the real hidden history of this country. We know this is a good thing. These conversations, no matter how hard, will lead us to steps we all need to take towards our collective history. ”
Casimir was part of the delegation to the Vatican where the Pope apologized last month for the role of the Catholic Church in Canada’s residential center system.
Although she said she was disappointed that the Pope would not come to Kamloops during a visit scheduled for July, she was happy to meet with other Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Pope Francis will make stops in Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit during his visit.
Trudeau faced widespread criticism last September when he failed to attend National Reconciliation Day ceremonies in Kamloops.
Casimir told attendees at the memorial that Trudeau apologized for not coming to Kamloops last September.
“He was the owner of that,” he said. “He regretted our unmarked graves. I recognize that as a good start.”
Kamloops School survivor John Jules said Monday’s memorial was an inspiring event. Jules took part in a dance where he walked around the powwow field with hundreds of people, young and old.
“It’s exciting to have all of our people together,” he said. “It brings healing to our people.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 23, 2022.