(Ottawa, ON) June 28, 2021 – Several weeks ago, the Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) was devastated by the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children that were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School in British Columbia. We remain equally outraged over the recent news that another 104 potential unmarked graves were located near the site of the former Brandon Residential School in Manitoba and now 751 unmarked graves near a former school in Saskatchewan. These tragedies underscore a need to investigate all Residential Schools so that the Indigenous children who were deprived of their right to a full life can be honoured, and returned to their families. All of the deaths must be investigated, and the guilty made accountable and brought to justice.

All evidence points to the fact that there are still more Indigenous children yet to be found whose bodies were hidden and never acknowledged. It is imperative that every single one of these children be located and given the honour that they, and their loved ones, deserve so that we can all begin to heal as a country.

“We know that so many more missing and murdered Indigenous children will be found. The count will reach into the thousands based on what we have always heard within the Indigenous community. At last, these discoveries have captured the world’s attention and people everywhere are acknowledging the truth about what happened here in Canada and are mourning alongside us. Public awareness is an important first step toward achieving justice and we are hopeful that from these tragedies, we will learn from this government and church tyranny and violence to ensure this never happens again,” said Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel at the LHF.

“We call upon the Federal Government to do the right thing, to accept responsibility for these acts of violence and crimes against humanity and to conduct an inquiry and implement actions to help Indigenous Survivors and Intergenerational Survivors. We urge Government to work with Survivors and organizations, such as the LHF, to help with more-on-the-land healing funds because we know that generations of our people are still suffering with the resulting trauma. We also hope that Ministers of Education will make Indigenous history, including the history of Residential and Day Schools and the Sixties Scoop, compulsory across all jurisdictions, and when they do the LHF and other Indigenous organizations can share the educational tools and curricula with teachers so that our future decision-makers, leaders and citizens know the truth, develop empathy, understanding and respect for Indigenous Peoples,” said Board President Adam North Peigan.

Residential Schools were established in 1883 by the Canadian Government in order to “get rid of the Indian problem by killing the Indian in the child.” Up until 1997, when the last school closed, an estimated 150,000 Indigenous children throughout Canada were forced into these mostly church-run schools, where they were prohibited from speaking Indigenous languages and practising their own culture, underwent severe emotional, physical, sexual abuse, violence and shamed and humiliated regularly just because they were Indigenous.

Many of the children that attended these schools experienced abhorrent levels of neglect and malnutrition, coupled with the high rates of disease and abuse that were uncommon for other children in Canada at the time. Indigenous children faced mortality rates that ranged from 40% to 60%. Throughout the sordid history of Residential Schools, a reported 4,100 children are believed to have perished, although that number could be as high as 15,000+.

“We are heart-broken by the discovery of more unmarked graves, but we are not surprised because most Indigenous Peoples have known about this from their family and community members for years. The LHF has worked with hundreds of Survivors, and many have shared that they had tried to go to authorities, but that their claims were disregarded. The Federal Government hired Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce to investigate the schools and he reported the abuses happening there, yet the Government chose to bury his report and keep the schools open another 70 years,” said Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel at the LHF, and added, “To say they didn’t know is naïve and factually incorrect. This was never about assimilation. It was about genocide against Indigenous Peoples. Although our hearts ache for the families and communities, we are uplifted by the support allyship shown by Canadians in solidarity over the atrocities that are finally coming to light.”

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been work into promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 20 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Sixties Scoop on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote hope and healing. The LHF works to encourage people to address racism and discrimination so as to contribute to the equity, dignity, and just relationships among all. The LHF works with teachers, school boards, universities, policing agencies, government departments, banks, unions, private businesses, and citizens to help meet these goals.

The LHF offers a unique and comprehensive collection of curriculum K-12, more than 20 exhibitions and Activity Guides, workshops and training and resources for adults, 2 podcast series, research reports aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and other colonial acts of oppression. The LHF also has projects that promote cultural revitalization and reclamation to support the transfer of Indigenous Knowledge among Elders, Knowledge-Keepers and youth as part of our healing initiatives. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism and foster Reconciliation in Canada. We believe true Reconciliation requires consistent, positive, and informed effort and action by everyone.

To purchase the LHF’s Orange T-Shirt or to donate to the LHF, or for more information about the LHF visit the Legacy of Hope Foundation website at www.legacyofhope.ca. Our charitable number is 863471520RR0001.