Call to Action # 76

We call upon the parties engaged in the work of documenting, maintaining, commemorating, and protecting residential school cemeteries to adopt strategies in accordance with the following principles: 

  1. The Aboriginal community most affected shall lead the development of such strategies. 
  2. Information shall be sought from residential school Survivors and other Knowledge Keepers in the development of such strategies. 
  3. Aboriginal protocols shall be respected before any potentially invasive technical inspection and investigation of a cemetery site.

Why “In Progress?”

Nov. 9, 2022: Government of Canada announced funding of $28.5 million over five years for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) including funding for the National Advisory Committee on Missing Children and Unmarked Burials. The NCTR Pre-Budget Submission 2022 asked specifically for $7.5M over 5 years to support this project.

July 20, 2022: The Govt. of Canada and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation announce the new National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools Missing Children and Unmarked Burials

August 11, 2021: The federal government announced that they will create a national advisory committee, made up of archeology, forensic, pathology and mental health experts, to advise Indigenous communities and the government about the work to find and identify the children.

The federal government also announced that they will appoint a special interlocutor to propose law and policy changes to better respond to the findings of unmarked graves at former residential school sites and in addition committed $321M in new funding for Indigenous communities. 

Current Status

In Progress

Call to Action
last updated

January 16, 2023


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