There are increasing calls for Canada Day celebrations to be cancelled across the country in response to recent unmarked grave discoveries at sites of former residential schools.
Several municipalities in a few provinces, including BC, New Brunswick, Alberta and Ontario, have already made the decision to forego celebrations out of respect for the surviving victims, Indigenous families and communities who have lost loved ones.
Keewaywin First Nation in northern Ontario says it will no longer recognize Canada Day as a celebration and will instead mark it as a “day of mourning”, with calls for the country to do the same.
It is estimated up to 30,000 Indigenous children died in Canada’s residential school system.
The Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan announced yesterday that an estimated 751 unmarked graves have been uncovered at the site of the former Marieval residential school, east of Regina.
The latest tragic discovery came just a month after a similar tragic discovery Kamloops, BC and as a result, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is calling for more supports for residential school survivors and their families.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted to the news saying in a statement that his heart breaks for the community and we must work together for a better future.
The Idle No More movement is among those asking for celebrations to cancelled, writing “The recent discovery at Kamloops residential school has reminded us that Canada remains a country that has built its foundation on the erasure and genocide of Indigenous nations, including children. We refuse to sit idle while Canada’s violent history is celebrated. We are once again calling on Indigenous land, water and sky protectors and allies to come together and disrupt the celebration. #CancelCanadaDay”
Amid the discovery, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) is calling for more supports for residential school survivors and their families.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted to the news saying in a statement that his heart breaks for the community and we must work together for a better future.
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