An increasing number of Canadians who initially accepted the highly improbable claim that 215 Kamloops residential school students had been mysteriously killed and secretly buried — with the forced help of children “as young as six” — are beginning to ask questions about the truth of that claim..Given that our justice minister is currently studying ways of making even the questioning of such claims illegal, perhaps it might be useful to ask some questions before doing so becomes a criminal offence. These are all questions that Canadian journalists should have asked two years ago..But didn’t..It should be remembered the Kamloops claim was originally made by Chief Roseanne Casimir more than two years ago now. The claim — if true — would have been the most serious serial murder case ever committed in our nation’s history..Indigenous leaders demanded the Kamloops school grounds be declared a crime scene. The RCMP responded appropriately and immediately began an investigation. However, for reasons that have not been explained to the public, the RCMP was called off after indigenous and non-indigenous politicians intervened. From that point on — bizarrely — the Kamloops Indian Band was allowed to conduct a do-it-yourself murder investigation — a first in Canadian history. Since then, there has been no excavation, and no valid reasons offered for failing to do so. The Kamloops Band has done nothing. The RCMP has apparently washed its hands of the matter..But after Casimir’s claim resulted in that community receiving millions of dollars from the federal government to conduct a search (which they didn’t do), there quickly followed even more extreme claims from other communities, with the inevitable demands for money to carry out “searches.".They received millions, with no questions asked. Soon, portable radar machines were being dragged around schoolyards from coast to coast. Senior indigenous leaders asserted the grounds of every residential school in Canada should be considered a crime scene..Claims, like “15-25,000 and maybe more” and from Canada’s most senior chief, AFN Chief Roseanne Archibald: “Tens of thousands intentionally killed at residential schools, with 1600 bodies already recovered,” soon followed..Williams Lake Chief Willie Sellars alleged there was a decades long conspiracy between the federal government, the churches and the RCMP to keep all of the alleged atrocities from the Canadian public. Dozens of similar claims were made, and each claimant community was rewarded extravagantly with federal funds. Every one of those claims was false..Since all of that happened, no evidence of even a single secret burial has been authenticated..It's becoming increasingly clear there never was any credible evidence to support these claims. Stories told within the community is not evidence, and claims this gossip comes from “knowledge keepers” does not change that fundamental fact..In fact, there is no credible evidence even a single child died under sinister circumstances and was secretly buried at any residential school anywhere in Canada. The only “evidence” offered to support even that initial claim — the radar evidence — shows only “soil disturbances,” which could be from any natural or man-made excavation..And it now appears that the soil disturbances detected were most probably from a 1924 sewage installation — not graves at all. The other “evidence” of graves, such as at Cowessess, shows there are indeed graves — at a community cemetery! What else would one expect to find at a community cemetery?.So, what's going on?.Why did these senior indigenous leaders make such reckless, baseless claims?.Why did the federal government immediately accept claims that were based on such flimsy evidence, and then lower flags across Canada for months?.Why did our media not even ask the most basic questions about these claims?.Except for stalwarts, like Conrad Black, Barbara Kay, Terry Glavin, and Jon Kay, why were our best and brightest journalists not even curious about any of these increasingly preposterous claims?.Did they think they might be considered disrespectful by not asking even the most obvious questions, such as, “If there are thousands of children who went to a school and never returned, why is there absolutely no historical evidence of even one parent asking where their child had gone?”.Or, “If there were thousands of children who disappeared and were secretly buried, why did none of the 6,000 people who testified before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission over more than five years at a cost of $70,000,00 mention such disappearances?” Not one!.And what about the well-paid writers and academics who built careers peddling claims of secret burials and genocide, while trying to brand anyone who questions those claims as a 'denialist?' How many impressionable statue topplers, and arsonists have these genocide hustlers embittered with their unsubstantiated claims?.There are indeed many thousands of children who lie in untended cemeteries all across Canada. They died mainly from diseases that sadly killed untold thousands 100-plus years ago. Many lie in unmarked graves. Some attended residential schools, some attended day schools, some attended no school at all. However, their graves are unmarked and untended simply because their families and communities chose not to tend their graves and cemeteries..Why have some opportunists exploited this by implying there's something sinister about this simple fact? How does the fact that graves have not been properly tended imply wrongdoing? How is it no one even thought this was a problem since 1883? Why is it only now considered an outrage? Why are families, who never sought to look for burial sites of long dead ancestors for 150 years, only doing so now?.Another intriguing, but dark, question is this: Why is it that the most vicious attacks by those peddling “genocide” were directed against priests and nuns? Many of those clerics literally dedicated their lives to helping desperately poor indigenous children find their way in a modern world that had overwhelmed them?.Why these preposterous and baseless claims about priests killing and secretly burying children? Is this not anti-Catholic bigotry of the worst kind? Is this not hate speech?.And what do any of these baseless and cruel accusations have anything to do with “reconciliation?”.But, for those of us who sensed that the Kamloops claims were false from the outset — and said so — the main question now is this: Why in the world would this Justice minister threaten to criminalize the necessary questioning of these increasingly shaky claims? How can he even dare to tell us what to think and what not to think?.Who does he think he is? This is Canada. People can think and say what they want to say..Why would a man who has been granted the honour of calling himself a Justice minister even consider such Orwellian “thought crime” legislation? Shame on you, Mr. Lametti!.So, an idea, Mr. Lametti: Instead of attempting to stop relevant questions by criminalizing the questioners, how about working with your provincial counterparts to direct the RCMP to do their job? Your colleagues somehow convinced the RCMP to abdicate their responsibilities and stop investigating. Why not get them back on the job and give Canadians the answers we deserve?.Indigenous leaders claimed the Kamloops residential school grounds is a crime scene. If so, the RCMP should immediately resume the investigation it originally initiated. The area should be secured and excavation begun. The soil disturbances are as shallow as three feet down. A few shovel digs and the questions would be answered one way or the other..Having claimed all residential school grounds should be considered crime scenes it is completely disingenuous of indigenous leaders to now say they are “sacred” and cannot be properly investigated..Mr. Lametti, treat these people the way you would treat any other Canadian, and work with your provincial counterparts to direct the RCMP to do their job. You owe that to Canadians..And never repeat the madness of putting communities in charge of serious criminal investigations. What were you thinking?.By now excavations have taken place at the sites of other residential schools and indigenous sites where “survivors” were convinced there were graves. And the excavations proved that there were none..Most recently at the site of the former Camsell hospital in Edmonton, former residents were absolutely convinced they would find graves. But when the grounds were excavated, they found there were none..Exactly the same thing occurred at excavations at the former site of the Shubenacadie, Kuiper Island and Mohawk residential schools. No graves were found..“Stories in the community” and “knowledge keepers” told of graves, but excavation proved that no graves existed..Because the memories and truthfulness of indigenous “survivors” is no different from those in any other group. And “stories” in an indigenous community are no more or less reliable than in any community..Simply put, in every one of the examples given above in which excavation proved there were no graves, the “knowledge keepers” were mistaken..There is no such thing as a special “truth” for indigenous people. A thing is either true or it is not true..And finally, why this preoccupation with ancient burial places and historical wrongs — real and imagined? The reality is there's never been a better time and place for ambitious young indigenous men and women. They can get almost any job or career they want, while keeping as much of their indigenous identity and culture as they care to..Why not give them that message? Why dwell on the past? Why not focus on the here and now, while looking to the future? Tell the young people that instead of giving them the hopeless — and false — message that they are genocide victims..Apologies have been made, and compensation has been paid..Isn’t it time for all of us to move on?
