The Department of Canadian Heritage declined to comment on whether it would fund a proposed national shrine to commemorate 215 children allegedly buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, despite millions in federal funding allocated for excavation efforts.
Blacklock's Reporter says no remains have been recovered to date, according to public records.
“The funding program for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation provides support for community-based events,” said David Larose, a spokesperson for the department. “The program has not received an application from the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation.”
Larose clarified that the department is not responsible for funding shrines outside of Ottawa. “The department is responsible for commemorative monument projects solely on federal land in the National Capital Region,” he said.
However, Access to Information records reveal that the department was involved in discussions surrounding commemoration efforts in Kamloops.
A June 7, 2021, meeting included a deputy from the department assigned to discuss “federal-provincial collaboration in response to the discovery of what could be the remains of children.” A subsequent staff email noted, “This latter item is being assessed by Canadian Heritage.”
Documents show the Tk’emlúps council budgeted $3.3 million for a monument at the site. The department did not respond when asked if any actual recovery of remains would be required before approving funding for commemoration.
Initially, the federal government allocated $7.9 million for “remains excavation,” but that amount later increased to $9.3 million and then $12.1 million, with additional budget requests ongoing.
The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations said the funds were intended for fieldwork, DNA analysis, and forensic studies, but records indicate that money was instead spent on public relations, consultants, and other unrelated expenses.
During a 2021 visit to Kamloops, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged federal support and referred to the site as a burial ground.
“That’s the realization Canadians have taken on following the leadership right here in Tk’emlúps, a discovery in May of 215 indigenous kids in the graves just up the hill,” said Trudeau. “That realization came as a real shock to an awful lot of non-indigenous people in Canada.”
Trudeau called the moment an “awakening” for Canadians. “We compare ourselves with smug smiles to the news coming out of the United States and we say, ‘Oh, isn’t Canada great and open,’” he said. “I think these past months have been an awakening for many Canadians to the reality.”
“As much as the federal government needs to do, and as much as the federal government needs to do much more, it’s on all of us across this country,” Trudeau added.
