(Ottawa, ON) February 4, 2022 -

The Legacy of Hope Foundation is devastated and appalled to learn about the 93 unmarked graves that were detected at the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in Williams Lake First Nation. It is incredibly likely that these graves belong to some of the countless Indigenous children who were forced to attend this school, which ran from 1891 to 1981. These 93 Indigenous children’s lives did not receive the honour and acknowledgment that they were deserving of, and they underscore a need for further accountability and investigation into the issue of unmarked children’s graves at the remaining Residential Schools within Canada.

Over 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their loved ones and communities, and forced to attend Residential Schools, which were established by the Canadian Government and run by various churches. The purpose of these schools was to eradicate Indigenous identity, which was to be accomplished by strictly forbidding the use of Indigenous languages and their connection with family, community, identity and cultural practices, and shaming children for being Indigenous. Within the walls of these schools, children of various ages were abused physically, emotionally, spiritually, and sexually, and had their basic needs neglected. This extreme cruelty and neglect irrevocably damaged 7 generations of Indigenous Peoples throughout the more than 160 years that Residential Schools operated.

“This terrible discovery presents further opportunity for the Government of Canada to work with Survivors, Intergenerational Survivors, and the LHF to educate Canadians about the devastating and ongoing impacts of Residential Schools within Canada. Given what Survivors and other evidence has told us, it is likely that there remain more undiscovered graves located at these schools, and thus, more devastation awaiting the families and communities of the children forced to attend these schools. It is imperative that concrete and sustained action be taken in order to honour the lives that were lost, to deliver proper justice, to address ongoing racism and to promote healing among Survivors, their families, and their communities,” said Teresa Edwards, Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel of the LHF.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has addressed racism and promoted healing in Canada for over 21 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate Canadians 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 injustices in order to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation.

La FAE dispose de plus de 25 expositions accessibles au public et travaille à rendre ses autres expositions disponibles en ligne. La Fondation possède également des programmes d'enseignement de la maternelle à la 12e année et pour les adultes, ainsi que des guides d'activités visant à sensibiliser les Canadiens à l'histoire autochtone et à l'histoire commune des pensionnats et des externats, de la Rafle des années 60, etc. La FAE travaille à développer l'empathie et la compréhension afin d'éliminer le racisme à l’égard des peuples autochtones.

Pour les demandes médiatiques, contactez :
Teresa Edwards, B.A., LL.B. JD. Directrice générale et conseillère juridique interne Fondation autochtone de l’espoir Courriel:info@legacyofhope.ca Téléphone:613-237-4806, poste 303