Photo: The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with a Vancouver family on Tuesday.
It has been a difficult year for many since the discovery of unmarked graves in residential schools and those expressing anger are justified in doing so, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau made the comment on Tuesday after confronting angry chants from some attending a memorial service at the former Kamloops residential school the day before.
“There were a number of people who are still very, very hurt by this and who are angry, and frankly have a right to be angry,” Trudeau said at an event in Vancouver, where he was visiting a family to talk. federal housing policy.
The ceremony in Kamloops on Monday marked a year since Tk’emlups te Secwepemc announced that ground penetration radar had identified 215 alleged graves in an apple orchard of the former residential school.
The announcement sparked an assessment of Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples and additional searches for former residential schools across the country.
Trudeau said the news affected Indians who have long known that many children who went to school never returned home, as well as Canadians who were surprised to learn that residential schools had cemeteries.
“These are things that Canada has to deal with, and of course it needs to be cured. There is a need for partnership, but there will also be a lot of trauma and anger,” Trudeau said.
He said he was “incredibly touched” by the elders who welcomed him and told him it was important for the federal government to attend the ceremony and he also understands that there are others who are still badly injured.
Hundreds of people attended the memorial for a day at Kamloops and Trudeau was followed by a large group who sang and played drums as he stopped in the stands, talking face to face with people.
As he exchanged hugs with some, others were less receptive, chanting, “Canada is all Indian land” and “We don’t need your Constitution.”
“Canada was responsible for the horrible things that happened to the natives, and these injustices continue not only in the past, but in the present today,” Trudeau said Tuesday.
Socio-economic inequality and mental health challenges are among the legacies of residential schools that require continued action, he added.
“I was grateful to be there, grateful to hear from people’s perspectives, and grateful to be able to continue to insist and show that the federal government will be there as a partner in long-term reconciliation.”