‘No, Canada!’.Following the discovery of what is believed to be an unmarked grave containing the remains of 215 children in Kamloops, city council in Victoria, BC is cancelling its Canada Day broadcast this year, and instead plans to air an event later in the summer guided by local First Nations..“As First Nations mourn and in light of the challenging moment we are in as a Canadian nation following the discovery of the remains of 215 children at a former Kamloops Residential School, Council has decided to take the time to explore new possibilities, instead of the previously planned virtual Canada Day broadcast,” said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps in a media statement..City council, who voted unanimously to change its plans for July 1, noted everyone will celebrate Canada Day in their own way..“The City of Victoria aims to take leadership and provide an opportunity for thoughtful reflection and examination of what it means to be Canadian in light of recent events and what we already know from our past,” says the City of Victoria in a release..Helps also made headlines in 2018 when she had a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald – one of the central figures involved in bringing residential schools into Canada – removed from the front of Victoria City Hall..An estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children attended residential schools between the 1860s and 1996, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission..The Kamloops Industrial School (later known as the Kamloops Indian Residential School) was opened under Roman Catholic administration in 1890 before growing into the largest school in the Indian Affairs residential school system..“As a Catholic, I am deeply disappointed by the decision that the Catholic Church has taken now and over the past many years,” Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters last week, amid a tirade of public outrage..Some view Trudeau’s comments to be disingenuous..“Your comments are not only unhelpful but must be considered posturing for political purposes and yet another blatant attempt at ongoing dissimulation,” said retired Calgary bishop, Frederick Henry in an open letter to Justin Trudeau..“While acknowledging our own sorrow and guilt, and trying to own our sinfulness in the participation in residential schools, it is important to note the wording in our statement, especially the words, ‘participation in government policies.’.“Primary responsibility must be owned by the federal government.”.While several Catholic bishops across Canada have apologized and requested the release of documents in response to the discovery in Kamloops, the Vatican has yet to issue an apology or release documents..As for the Canadian government, 15 tons of paper documents related to the residential school system between 1936 and 1944, including 200,000 Indian Affairs files, were destroyed by Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King’s government, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Final Report..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
‘No, Canada!’.Following the discovery of what is believed to be an unmarked grave containing the remains of 215 children in Kamloops, city council in Victoria, BC is cancelling its Canada Day broadcast this year, and instead plans to air an event later in the summer guided by local First Nations..“As First Nations mourn and in light of the challenging moment we are in as a Canadian nation following the discovery of the remains of 215 children at a former Kamloops Residential School, Council has decided to take the time to explore new possibilities, instead of the previously planned virtual Canada Day broadcast,” said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps in a media statement..City council, who voted unanimously to change its plans for July 1, noted everyone will celebrate Canada Day in their own way..“The City of Victoria aims to take leadership and provide an opportunity for thoughtful reflection and examination of what it means to be Canadian in light of recent events and what we already know from our past,” says the City of Victoria in a release..Helps also made headlines in 2018 when she had a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald – one of the central figures involved in bringing residential schools into Canada – removed from the front of Victoria City Hall..An estimated 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children attended residential schools between the 1860s and 1996, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission..The Kamloops Industrial School (later known as the Kamloops Indian Residential School) was opened under Roman Catholic administration in 1890 before growing into the largest school in the Indian Affairs residential school system..“As a Catholic, I am deeply disappointed by the decision that the Catholic Church has taken now and over the past many years,” Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters last week, amid a tirade of public outrage..Some view Trudeau’s comments to be disingenuous..“Your comments are not only unhelpful but must be considered posturing for political purposes and yet another blatant attempt at ongoing dissimulation,” said retired Calgary bishop, Frederick Henry in an open letter to Justin Trudeau..“While acknowledging our own sorrow and guilt, and trying to own our sinfulness in the participation in residential schools, it is important to note the wording in our statement, especially the words, ‘participation in government policies.’.“Primary responsibility must be owned by the federal government.”.While several Catholic bishops across Canada have apologized and requested the release of documents in response to the discovery in Kamloops, the Vatican has yet to issue an apology or release documents..As for the Canadian government, 15 tons of paper documents related to the residential school system between 1936 and 1944, including 200,000 Indian Affairs files, were destroyed by Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King’s government, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Final Report..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
