Caroline Cochrane: Indian Residential School Mass Grave in Kamloops

Ministers' Statements and Speeches

Yellowknife — May 31, 2021

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Mr. Speaker, before I begin my statement today I want to acknowledge that many people, including those that work in and around this Legislative Assembly and government, are being retraumatized by the confirmation of the mass grave of Indigenous children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.  I am providing this notice so that those who are hurting may choose not to listen if they will be triggered by what I say.

Mr. Speaker, the confirmation of the remains of 215 Indigenous children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School last week is a reminder of a dark chapter of Canadian history rooted in the attempted cultural genocide and assimilation of Indigenous people across the country.

We are all grieving at the confirmation of the mass grave by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation. This is a devastating moment for so many, especially Indigenous people who have experienced first-hand the system that tried so hard to destroy them and steal their culture and language from them. On behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories, I want to extend our deepest condolences to Chief Roseanne Casimir, the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, and to the families of the 215 spirits who can now come home to rest after all these years.

Mr. Speaker, this is not just a dark chapter in Canadian history. It is part of our present day, as it continues to live on through the multi-generational trauma that has impacted Indigenous people for decades. Because of the physical, psychological, spiritual and sexual abuse experienced by those torn away from their homes by the Government of Canada and the Catholic Church, the impacts continue to live on in Indigenous communities across the Northwest Territories, and Canada.

Mr. Speaker, this is a harmful reminder to so many that the history of the residential school system continues to have a long-lasting impact on families and survivors.

In the Northwest Territories, most of us know someone who attended a residential school, and we have all felt the impact of the legacy it left and will for generations to come. It is important we all take care of one another during moments like this. Now is the time for us all to check in on the people in our lives who may be having difficulty as a result of this.

I want to say now to anyone who may be struggling, you are not alone. For immediate assistance to those who may need it, the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available 24-hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.

Mr. Speaker, we are mourning the many young lives who never made it home from that school, their lives cut short at the hands of colonialism. This is a difficult time for anyone who has experienced the horrors of the residential school system, and the many generations of Indigenous people who have been impacted by it.

Flags are flying at half-mast today. We want to honour the memory of the thousands of children who were sent to residential schools, for those who never returned, and honour the families whose lives were forever changed.

Mr. Speaker, there is a great deal of work that remains to address reconciliation in the Northwest Territories and Canada, and we continue to move forward on that journey. While it will be long, and at times difficult, the GNWT is committed to this journey, every step of the way.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.