The federal government has appointed Kimberly Murray, the former executive director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada, as a special interlocutor on unmarked graves in former residential schools.
Murray, a member of the Kahnesatake Mohawk Nation, will be tasked with working with Indigenous peoples to make recommendations to strengthen federal laws and practices to protect and preserve unmarked burial sites.
“I promise I will do everything in my power to ensure that the office of the Special Interlocutor is here to help and not to do any more harm in any way,” Murray said during a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday.
“I look forward to hearing about the unique new barriers your communities have had and continue to have as they do this sacred task.”
Justice Minister David Lametti and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller made the announcement Wednesday along with Indigenous leaders.
“This appointment presents a renewed opportunity to work together to build a positive healing future for Canada’s Indigenous peoples. It is a critical step in our journey toward reconciliation,” Lametti said.
WHAT IS A SPECIAL INTERVIEWER?
As a special interlocutor, Murray will assist indigenous communities in overcoming various jurisdictional and legal obstacles at various burial sites and facilitate dialogue with relevant governments and institutions, including churches.
It will address issues related to the identification, preservation and protection of unmarked graves, including the repatriation of remains, if desired.
“I hope that when I go to communities and meet with survivors and leaders I will hear about these conversations about how they struggled with what to do, how to be prosecuted. Do we invite the police to come in? What police? RCMP, provincial police, municipal police, police First Nations? ”Murray said.
“I’m looking forward to talking to each of them, listening to the different ideas they have about what they can do on this path to justice.”
It is expected to produce two reports: an interim report after the first year and the final report, both of which will be delivered to Ottawa survivors, communities and families, First Nations, Métis and Inuit. The reports will also be made public.
This is an independent, non-partisan position, which Ottawa set aside for $ 10.4 million over two years to support.
Miller said the role makes the federal government accountable and ensures that it does not fit into a “painful” and “detonating” process.
“Kim Murray will fill a very important gap to make sure that we are not only doing things in a concerted manner at the federal level and supporting in the best way possible, but we are also interacting with communities and building a level of trust that is not “Offer us frankly,” he said.
MURRAY’S PAST WORK
Most recently, Murray served as executive leader of the Grand River Six Nations Survivors Secretariat to help recover unmarked burials at Mohawk Institute, Canada’s oldest residential school.
Prior to that, he served as Ontario’s first Deputy Attorney General for Indigenous Justice and chaired the Panel of Experts on Police in Indigenous Communities.
From 2010 to 2015, Murray was the executive director of the TRC.
Burial Results
Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation Chief Rosanne Casimir said just over a year ago that the remains of 215 children had been found at the site of the former Indian residential school in Kamloops.
Although this figure was later revised to 200, hundreds of unmarked graves have been identified across the country in recent months, with dozens of additional searches underway or being planned.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were mostly forced by their families to attend boarding schools from the late 19th century to 1996, with the goal of replacing indigenous languages and culture with beliefs. English and Christian.
Liberals have been criticized for their handling of the findings, that is, for their degree of sincerity in taking concrete action.
In response to Wednesday’s announcement, Conservative Crown-Indigenous Critic Gary Vidal expressed continued skepticism.
“For too long, indigenous peoples have been waiting for the Liberal government to fulfill its empty promises and commitments of reconciliation. It is time to make the necessary systemic changes to begin the divestment of the delivery of the program, in order to pursue a self-determined delivery model, “he said in a statement to CTVNews.ca.
Meanwhile, NDP Indigenous Services Critic Lori Idlout said the news was a “major step” towards healing, but noted that the delay in appointing the interlocutor was “disappointing”.
The government first announced its intention to create the post in August 2021.
Months earlier, the Liberals had voted against a NDP unanimous consent motion calling on the government to set up an independent commission to oversee the collection of historical records, land searches and investigations in agreement with indigenous communities.
“The NDP continues to call on this government to provide all the necessary resources to achieve the truth and justice owed to indigenous peoples. The First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities are still calling for more support to heal themselves. these traumatic discoveries, and today’s announcement does not change that reality, “Idlout said in a statement.
Archived by Mike Le Couteur of CTV News