The Legacy of Hope Foundation Demands Accountability and Action for the 215 Children found at the Canada Run Kamloops Residential School

(Ottawa, ON) May 31, 2021 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation is heartbroken and outraged to learn of the 215 remains of Indigenous children from the Kamloops Residential School. Whether this was a mass grave or unmarked graves, the facts are the same – 215 Indigenous children’s lives were lost and never acknowledged or honoured and there are likely other children’s remains in the more than 130 Canada-run Residential Schools.

Photo by Jeff Koenig

Over 150,000 Indigenous children were often taken by force from their families and communities, and kept in the government-funded, church-run schools in an attempt to “kill the Indian in the child.” Children as young as 3 years old were subjected to physical, emotional, spiritual, mental and sexual abuses, forbidden from speaking their language, connecting with their siblings or families, faced malnutrition, neglect, and when medical needs arose, they were often left untreated. In 1927, Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce, was hired was by the Government to document was happening in these schools after many students and parents made complaints. Although he flagged these issues with the Government of Canada, the schools remained open another 70 years until the last school closed in 1997.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for more than 20 years now. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School System, Sixties Scoop, and other colonial acts of oppression on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Metis) Peoples in order to address ongoing injustice and discrimination and to build a better future for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

This is an opportunity for the Government of Canada to work with the LHF, Survivors, and Intergenerational Survivors to expand the education to all Canadians about what has happened in this country, and about what continues to happen, so that we can identify solutions to prevent these tragedies from ever happening again. This is not distant history; these children have families and communities that are affected now. We know that there are likely other children’s bodies surrounding other schools because of the well-documented, and deplorable treatment our children experienced there. This needs to be dealt with in a strategic and systematic way and not just with a tweet acknowledging ‘Canada’s dark history’; we need action with the people who are actually doing something about the situation,” said Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and Legal Counsel of the LHF.

The LHF is the proud steward of more than 700 Survivor empowered Oral Testimonies that were entrusted to us to educate Canadians and to preserve the truth of what happened to more than 7 generations of Indigenous children, their families, and Nations. To listen to testimonies you can go to: https://legacyofhope.ca/wherearethechildren/stories/

As a Survivor of the Sixties Scoop and someone with family members who are personally affected by the Residential School System, this is traumatic and devastating news. We must use this occasion as an impetus to take action and to ensure injustices like these are never repeated. We will work with Survivors, families, communities and Nations to address ongoing racism and to continue to educate Canadians about this recent history,’ said LHF Board President, Adam North Peigan.”

The LHF has curriculum from K-12, along with Activity Guides, aimed at educating students and adults about Indigenous and shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the links to the high rates of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the socio-economic factors impacting Indigenous Peoples today.

The LHF delivers Workshops to all workplaces in order to educate Canadians about our shared history and to offer solutions on how to build equitable relationships with Indigenous Peoples and teaches people how to be an ally. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism and foster Reconciliation in Canada.

We care about Survivors and their families. For anyone requiring support, please contact any of the following help lines:

National IRS Crisis Line​: 1-866-925-4419

Regional IRS Support Services:

Atlantic: 1-866-414-8111

Quebec: 1-877-583-2965

Ontario: 1-888-301-6426

Manitoba: 1-866-818-3505

Saskatchewan: 1-866-250-1529

Alberta: 1-888-495-6588

NWT, Nunavut, and Yukon: 1-866-509-1769

British Columbia: 1-877-477-0775

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone: 613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca

Adam North Peigan, Board President
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Email: anorthpeigan@legacyofhope.ca Tel: 780-935-9827