(Ottawa, ON) March 4, 2022 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation is anguished and horrified at the news that another 169 unmarked graves were detected by Kapawe’no First Nation at the grounds of the St. Bernard Mission School in Grouard Mission. Based on the evidence, which was discovered using ground-penetrating radar and drones, it is probable that these graves belong to some of the many Indigenous children that attended the school from 1894 until 1961. This painful discovery adds to the growing number of unmarked graves of children that have been found in Canada so far. The lives of these 169 Indigenous children, and those of many others discovered across Canada, deserve not just honour, but justice on behalf of what they went through and their lost opportunity for a full life. These tragedies further prove the critical need for a large-scale investigation to uncover the countless graves of Indigenous children that still remain undiscovered and deliver resolution for their loved ones.

For more than 160 years, over 150,000 Indigenous children were taken away from their families and communities and forced to attend Residential Schools. The schools, which were created by the Canadian Government and run by various churches, were intended to destroy Indigenous identity through cruel policies that punished children for practicing their culture and speaking their language, among other things. Within the schools, these policies of forced assimilation were combined with horrific physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as neglect. This resulted in the deaths of untold numbers of children, as well as a profound hurt among Indigenous Peoples that has lasted for generations.

“This discovery, while absolutely tragic and needless, will hopefully be yet another push the Government of Canada needs in order to truly commit to sustained work with Survivors, Intergenerational Survivors, and the LHF to raise more understanding among all Canadians about the impacts that Residential Schools have had upon Indigenous Peoples. Based on what the LHF has heard from Survivors and other research that has been conducted, there are almost certainly more unmarked graves that are waiting to be found across Canada. With this in mind, it is absolutely essential that the Canadian Government pledges to do more to provide justice, combat racism, and support healing efforts among Survivors, their loved ones, and community members,” said Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel of the LHF.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 21 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 Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage people to address discrimination and injustice in order to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation.

The LHF is working on making its exhibitions available online. LHF also has curriculum from K-12 to adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Podcasts 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. To donate, or for more information about the LHF, please visit the website at www.legacyofhope.ca. LHF Charitable number is 863471520RR0001.

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