The discovery of unmarked graves in a former residential school in the interior of British Columbia and the nationwide awakening it sparked have been voted Canadian news of the year by editors in newsrooms across the country.
In the Canadian Press annual poll, 38 editors chose the grim discovery of the former Kamloops Indian residential school as the most compelling and deeply revealing story of 2021. That compares with 31 votes for Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine launch and 13 for climate change. and the British Columbia climate that saw massive fires in the summer and flooding in the fall.
“The announcement of unmarked children’s graves shocked most Canadians, even if this information was not new to many First Nations people,” said Christina Spencer, editorial pages editor for Ottawa Citizen.
“Non-Indigenous Canadians now want to know more about the ‘hidden’ history of this country and that can only be a good thing.”
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Former Residential School Sites in Canada and the Search for Unnamed Graves
The story came to light last May when Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation in Kamloops said a section of land was searched at the old school with ground-penetrating radar and found what are believed to be the remains of up to 215 kids. The head of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc, Rosanne Casimir, said at the time that they had “a knowledge” in her community that the missing children were undocumented deaths.
“Some were as young as three years old,” Casimir said in a statement. “We look for a way to confirm it, with the deepest respect and love for those lost children and their families, understanding that Tk’emlups te Secwepemc is the final resting place of these children.”
The Kamloops Indian Residential School operated between 1890 and 1969, when the federal government took over its operations from the Catholic Church and ran it as a day school until it closed in 1978.
The 4,000-page report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission details maltreatment in Canadian residential schools, including emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children, and at least 4,100 deaths in institutions. Canada had more than 130 residential schools, the last of which closed in 1996.
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Even with the commission’s finding of thousands of deaths in schools, many editors who participated in the survey said the discovery of the unmarked graves served as a chilling and awareness-raising event on indigenous struggles in Canada.
“The initial discovery of 215 unmarked graves in a former residential school in Kamloops seemed to shake the Canadian character of Canada,” said Dawn Walton, editor-in-chief of CTV Calgary.
“Despite all the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it was this revelation and the subsequent discoveries of other unmarked graves that really made Canadians stop and acknowledge that there is still a lot to do.”
The story made headlines around the world. Across the country, other First Nations began searching for lost children using the same technology.
Saskatchewan Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme said a ground penetrating radar used near the Marieval Indian Residential School uncovered 751 unmarked graves, of which 300 have already been identified.
Ground penetrating radar searches are also being conducted in Brantford, Ontario, at the former Mohawk Institute Residential School, and in Williams Lake, BC, at the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School.
Flags were lowered for months across Canada in memory of lost children and survivors of residential schools.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced harsh criticism for traveling to Tofino, BC, for a family vacation on the first National Truth and Reconciliation Day in September, despite receiving an invitation from Casimir to visit the former residential school site. from Kamloops.
Trudeau visited him in October, where he apologized and said his vacation decision was a mistake that he regretted.
Casimir described the reaction of Canadians to the discovery of unidentified graves as one of immense importance to the survivors of the school who feel that the darkness of their past can no longer be hidden or denied.
“It has been completely overwhelming,” the chief said last June in a field near the residential school. “With that said, on behalf of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the tremendous support.”
Garry Gottfriedson, a former student at the Kamloops residential school, said the discovery of the nameless graves is bringing to the surface long-buried truths about the treatment of indigenous peoples that Canadians now want to explore.
“That shows the spirit of true Canadians who really want to learn,” said Gottfriedson, whose poems, songs and books explore indigenous identity. “They really don’t want to hide anything anymore.”
Editors in Canada described the discovery of the Nameless Graves as a moment of change in the country, much bigger than just news.
“The children who did not return home forced Canada to face its story,” said Sara Hyde, executive producer of CKNW Vancouver.
“It has not only changed the way we think about our history, but it is also changing the way we think about our reality and will shape political decisions in the future.”
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca