Today marks the start of National Indigenous History Month.
It is a time for learning about, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions First Nations, Inuit and Métis people have made in shaping Canada.
This year, the month comes just days after the bodies of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were discovered in unmarked graves at a former B.C. residential school site.
The discovery has led to calls for action from Indigenous leaders, politicians, and residential school survivors for similar searches to be conducted at the sites of other residential schools.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said yesterday that his government is looking for how it can support Indigenous communities in their grief and in their request for answers.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were placed in residential schools between the 1870s and 1996.
Records show at least 4,100 children died while attending these schools, but many believe the death count is a lot higher due to the schools’ poor burial records.
For more details on Indigenous History Month, please click here.
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