Across Canada – Residential School Evidence Continues to Emerge

Each day we are reminded of the tragic abuse which took place at residential schools. And to deepen the pain, searching for unmarked burials at former residential school sites across Canada. It is a tragic reminder of the abuse that many Indigenous children, our relatives, suffered in these institutions.

The office of the Crown-Indigenous Relations is working with Survivors, Indigenous leaders and affected families and communities to address historical wrongs and the lasting physical, emotional, mental and spiritual harms related to the legacy of residential schools. Part of this work includes efforts being made to locate and commemorate missing children who attended residential schools, as well as responding to Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 72 to 76.

The Survivors’ Secretariat at Six Nations of the Grand River is undertaking work related to unmarked burials associated with the former Mohawk Institute Residential School. Today, Kimberly R. Murray, Executive Lead for the Survivors’ Secretariat and the Honorable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, announced funding of $10,259,975 over three years through the Residential Schools Missing Children – Community Support Funding program to assist with this important work.

To date, $116.8 million has been committed to support First Nation, Inuit and Métis Survivors, their families and communities toward locating and commemorating missing children who attended residential schools.

Mohawks were sent to a number of residential schools, most prominent – the Mohawk Institute.

The Mohawk Institute Survivors’ Secretariat will coordinate with Survivors and engage with communities to locate, document, map, maintain and commemorate burials associated with the Mohawk Institute. This Survivor-led process will ensure that this sacred work is done in a way that supports the wishes of Survivors. The Survivors’ Secretariat is a Survivor-led initiative established in 2021. The Secretariat coordinates protocols and processes associated with death investigations and facilitates the gathering of community and Survivor statements as they work to document and share the truth about what happened at the Mohawk Institute during its 136 years of operation.

To date, 48 proposals have been approved from across the Canada by the Crown-Indigenous Relations.

Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations stated, “We will continue to process proposals rapidly to support Indigenous communities in their efforts to locate and commemorate children who attended residential schools and never returned home to their families, communities, and cultures. I have had the honor to meet with and listen to the testimony of many Survivors. To the Survivors of Residential Schools, this shouldn’t have to be said, but must: We believe you. Canada believes you.”

Vital to this are documents which previously haven’t been released by Canada, nor religious groups in charge of residential schools. Some researchers fear many residential school documents have been moved from Ontario to Quebec to the Vatican in Rome.

Other residential school documents are just now being released. On January 20, 2022, a memorandum between NCTR and Canada agreed Canada would share residential school narratives. These narratives were not previously in the NCTR collection. Canada’s CIR office are working with the NCTR on the next category of information to be shared - more than one million documents will be converted to a more readable format. This joint work is occurring in an order and timeline set by the NCTR.

According to Miller, “We are also working closely with various church entities and third party archives to facilitate the sharing of their collections to the fullest extent, and work is underway to create a project team and committee focused on the departmental document review announced on December 10, 2021. We expect this work to begin within the next month. As well, and out of an abundance of caution, I have recently issued a directive to my department to retain any and all documents relating to these types of records.”

Complete or work underway to identify burials (nine)

Kuper Island

Kamloops (St. Louis)

Cranbrook (St. Eugene’s)

Red Deer Industrial School

Regina

Marieval

Brandon

Shubenacadie (St. Anne’s Convent)

In Progress or Investigation Launched

Ahousaht

St. Michael’s (Alert Bay)

Christie (Tofino)

Alberni

St. Paul (Squamish)

Cariboo (Williams Lake – St. Josephs)

Red Deer Industrial School

Thunderchild (St. Henri)

Battlefield &70 to 80)

Lac La Ronge All Saints

Grey Hill (Clearwater)

Mackay (Dauphin)

Fort Alexander

Mohawk Institute

Preliminary Discussion or Planned Investigation

Blue Quills (Sacred Heart)

St. Albert (D’Youville)

Beauval Sk

Sturgeon Landing

Assinniboia (Winnipeg)

McIntosh (Kenora)

Pelican Lake (Pelican Falls)

Poplar Hill

Gordon’s

St. Anthony’s (Sacred Heart)

St. Albert

Stirland Lake High school (Wahbon Bay Academy)

Cristal Lake High school

Fort George Church of England (St. Phillip’s)

Fort George Roman Catholic Church (residence Couture)

Shingwauk (Wawansoh)

Spanish Boys School (St. Peter Claver)

Spanish Girls School (St. Anne’s)

Amos (Saint-Marc-De-Figuery)

To date, $116.8 million has been committed to support First Nation, Inuit and Métis Survivors, their families and communities toward locating and commemorating missing children who attended residential schools, responding to Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 72 to 76.