On Oct. 27, 2022, parliamentarians in Canada’s House of Commons unanimously voted to describe Indian Residential Schools as an act of genocide, despite the fact that no such evidence has ever been presented..Certainly, there are countless stories of former residential school students recited in the press or extracts from the recollections gathered in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) reports, but most people will be surprised to learn there is no actual evidence of genocide. Likewise, the fact is that two-thirds of status Indian children did not attend residential schools. Those who did attend had to be enrolled by their parents..It is true that there are many claims of unmarked graves, but none have been excavated to date. Is it possible the world has been led astray? Can it be that both indigenous Canadians and non-indigenous Canadians are being forced into the dehumanizing experience of a mass deception or misperception around historical events?.Terry Glavin is one of the few reporters to challenge the media groupthink on Indian Residential Schools, unmarked graves and the genocide claim, and he has written several empathetic books on residential schools with First Nations people. He is not a ‘denier.’ He is a real reporter. He also accepts the view that a ‘cultural genocide’ occurred..Canada has been accused of genocide by people like Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Aki-Kwe), as quoted in the June 02, 2021, story by CBC. In that same story, former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair, casually upped the number of missing children in the alleged unmarked graves from a figure of 3,201 as per the TRC report death registry, in an off-the-cuff statement claiming that it “…could be in the 15,000-25,000 range, and maybe even more.” Sinclair’s TRC went as far as to claim a ‘cultural genocide’ occurred — but did not find that a physical genocide had occurred..In the Calgary Herald on August 5th, 2010, Murray Sinclair was quoted: "While the TRC heard many experiences of unspeakable abuse, we have been heartened by testimonies which affirm the dedication and compassion of committed educators who sought to nurture the children in their care. These experiences must also be heard." But they are not heard. How did this story go from balance to genocide overnight?.Turpel-Lafond stated in the same CBC interview: "When you find a site with unmarked and undocumented burials of human remains, that is immediately a crime scene," explained Turpel-Lafond, who is also a law professor and former judge. "That means that there has to be a proper investigation of what's there, who is buried there, under what circumstances.".The problem with this statement is that no such ‘burials of human remains’ have been found. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) can only identify below-ground disturbances, not what there is — whether body, coffin or building materials. No proper investigation has been done at all, though the media recite claims as if fact and evidence exist. None of the claimed sites of unmarked or mass graves have been identified as crime scenes by the RCMP or other regional police. Most of those people who today claim they have relatives who went missing at Indian Residential Schools never made a missing persons report to police in the roughly 50 years prior to today..Canada is being given a public hanging without due process for the serious charge of genocide. So far, we have recollections of people which were gathered and published in the 4,000-page Truth and Reconciliation Report. Anyone who questions the veracity of the recollections is immediately branded a ‘residential school denier.’ The people were children at the time. No cross-examination or witnesses were required in the TRC process. Thus, we have statements from people, but no evidence. None of this follows due process of law..Subsequently, sudden discoveries of unmarked graves on or near Indian Residential Schools began popping up across the country. Some individuals who bought property that was said to formerly be a residential school or community graveyard, suddenly had Indigenous people showing up, wanting access to examine the property and invoking special rights or sacred rights..The special rights typically revolve around the claim that the original land was stolen and that the numbered treaties are not valid; the sacred rights revolve around the fact that all humans care about their loved ones. In death, finding remains of a lost person is often a point of closure of grief..However, in these cases, many of those searching never knew the individual at all and some only found out via the archival records that they even had a relative at an Indian Residential School. This means the separation from the family was at a very young age, or perhaps, in the case of an orphaned child or one with a handicap or deformity, the family did not speak of them anymore..Otherwise, if children are missing, why were they not reported as missing persons by their parents to law officers decades ago? In order to attend an Indian Residential School, the parents had to formally register the child. If the community was aware of child disappearances, why did parents continue to sign up their children to attend? If Indian Residential Schools were secretly killing children, how could they get away with it as they had to coordinate the assigned name and number of the child to the Department of Indian Affairs, in order to get paid the related education funding from the government?.A numbered child?!.CBC quoted Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond saying: "I'll just make it very concrete for you. One child was simply referred to [as], and I quote, 'Indian Girl No. 237.’".In light of the fact that Indian Residential Schools often took in entire families of children who were orphaned when one or both parents died, and that numbers were assigned for coordination of clothing, bedding and linen, as is done at many summer camps today, it is not shocking that an orphaned toddler or baby might arrive for care without a name, but with a number that the Indian Agent and government could use for coordinating stipends. Many people died in those days; thousands of people, indigenous-Canadian and others alike lie in unmarked graves, cut down by tuberculosis, influenza, Spanish Flu or infection. They have families around the world who have no idea where they lie..But Canadian records are very clear about the whereabouts of the Indian Residential School students who tragically died, at school or afterward on reserve..Two years ago, independent researcher Nina Green documented in meticulous detail, that the Indian agent was required to prepare a report on every death. If the death was from illness, the attending physician had to fill out a form. If the death was by accident, the Indian agent was required to interview any witnesses and fill out a form. Each and every death was dutifully recorded in the quarterly and annual reports of the Department of Indian Affairs..And, as Nina has documented, these records were stored at Library and Archives Canada. To suggest that hundreds, if not thousands, of the deaths at the Indian residential schools were missed — by the Indian agents and the parents — is absolutely absurd..Yet, the CBC does not question Murray Sinclair on this claim..However, they did suddenly begin to question whether or not law professor and former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is a ‘pretendian.’ On Nov. 21, 2022, CBC issued a report questioning the lineage of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, going to great lengths to requisition her father’s birth certificate to prove that he was born a white child to British and English parents. She claimed that he was Cree and adopted..Yet CBC unquestioningly accepts Murray Sinclair’s claim the 15,000-20,000 missing children are buried somewhere in unmarked graves, and CBC unquestioningly accepts Sinclair’s recitation of the most heinous recollections of former students as fact. CBC also unquestioningly reports on unmarked grave discoveries, without ever asking when evidence will be presented. When will there be excavations? Where are the crime scene markers? Where is the police report? The witnesses sworn to tell the truth. Why are some bands, like the shíshálh Nation, preproducing their own news clips, releasing them to the press to announce the discovery of 40 unmarked graves, and then not allowing any media coverage?.Is it possible that Canada is being framed with Jewish Holocaust analogies and language that do not reflect the historical evidence in the narrative about Indian Residential Schools? If so, to what end?.Obviously, many children did suffer at Indian Residential Schools. That is not genocide. Many have also been financially compensated in a multi-million-dollar compensation process that did not require evidence of harm and only nominal proof of attendance..Canada is being treated like an international criminal when there are no declared crime scenes and no physical evidence to support the accusation of ‘genocide.’ And of course, China has capitalized on these findings to launch a UN investigation into Canada for genocide. China was starving 36-40 million of their own people to death in a genocide under Mao, while Canada was educating, feeding and providing medical aid to indigenous children at Indian Residential Schools..So, election interference by China has all the headlines these days, but this intervention by China at the UN against Canada seems forgotten by the press. China is a clever strategist in geopolitics. What is their endgame in pressing this issue of genocide against Canada?.Canadians seem blind to the implications of this..Canadians must call for an immediate halt to all programs of reparation payments, to any effort to isolate historic records from access in the present public domain, to any effort to impose special rights on lands or properties based on ‘suspected’ unmarked graves of missing children. No property rights or access should be overturned to accommodate people who think they’d like to dig up your property. No land back for sacred purposes. No restriction on historic records that are presently in the public domain..Unfortunately, efforts are being made to do these things..Kimberly Murray, Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools, now says that the government doesn’t have to wait for her final report but should go ahead and change laws. Furthermore, as special advisor to David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Kimberly Murray is inviting submissions by August 31st on a very wide variety of topics, including Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Many historical researchers are concerned that this is not even part of her mandate and, without evidence and due process, as noted above, this may lead to restrictions of access to documents and even lands, meaning that evidence will never be available to prove or disprove Canada’s guilt in the heinous accusations of genocide..An example of what is being said versus what the historical record reveals is the case of Augustine Allen. said to be a relative of Charlene Belleau, who was appointed to the BC Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. At Kimberley Murray’s January gathering with Indian Residential School former students, Belleau claimed that “My grandpa committed suicide there and is buried at SJM (St Joseph’s Mission in Williams Lake.)” However, the death records, Indian Agent correspondence and school records show that Augustine died at age 9 in 1920 and had no descendants. He died of eating Water Hemlock, poisoned along with 8 other boys, but not fatal in their cases. There is an astounding amount of factual detail related to his death, and this is all drawn from public records by independent researcher Nina Green..Imagine if these factual records suddenly become the sole property of a First Nations organization such as Kimberley Murray seems to be proposing with Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Should Canadians be forced to pay out billions of dollars in reparations for a genocide that did not happen? Is the ‘land back’ movement — an Indigenous movement that claims lands ‘were stolen’ and not legally negotiated by treaty — exploiting the genocide theme in order to dismantle Canada or usurp present rule of law and property ownership?.Without access to these historic documents that are presently in the public domain, Canada will also not be able to argue its case when the UN Special Rapporteur on Rights of Indigenous Peoples issues his report, due in September. Then he will issue his findings vis a vis the allegations of genocide at Indian Residential Schools in Canada. After his ten-day visit here to gather information in March, his parting words were that the Indian Residential Schools had an ‘appalling legacy.’.It seems this public domain historical research will be vital to ferreting out the truth for the most heinous of criminal accusations against us and restoring peace of mind to young Indigenous people who have been led to believe things that are not supported by historical evidence..CBC has shown their ability and interest in doing due diligence to get to the truth as in the case of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, thus they seem capable enough to access death records and student names and see how or if these match the register of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation memorial wall. Why doesn’t the tax-funded CBC make a public reconciliation commitment to access the Indian Residential School records and death certificates and, on a weekly basis to report on 100 deaths and circumstances? Nina Green has done all the groundwork for them. Shouldn’t Canada’s national broadcaster inform the taxpaying public of the details of the historical records?.If CBC took on this mission, it is likely they will find many anomalies between the names on the NCTR memorial banner versus the actual Indian Residential School Records, as researcher Nina Green found. People who died of gunshot wounds, drowning, fire, 85-year-olds. It seems that out of what is probably an innocent and earnest desire to honor loved ones who died, the NCTR banner has become a general memorial — but their deaths have nothing to do with Indian Residential Schools. But to the outside world, this growing list of numbers is ‘evidence’ that a genocide took place in Canada..That’s not the truth. And there will be no reconciliation until accurate reporting and proper criminal and forensic investigations of the alleged unmarked graves begins..Until such time, Canada is innocent. Innocent until proven guilty..No relevant laws should be changed until these matters are properly adjudicated..Access to all public domain historical records must remain unrestricted..The public hanging of Canada must stop..Michelle Stirling is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists. She researched, wrote and co-produced historical shows about Southern Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Hugh Dempsey, then curator of the Glenbow Museum.
On Oct. 27, 2022, parliamentarians in Canada’s House of Commons unanimously voted to describe Indian Residential Schools as an act of genocide, despite the fact that no such evidence has ever been presented..Certainly, there are countless stories of former residential school students recited in the press or extracts from the recollections gathered in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) reports, but most people will be surprised to learn there is no actual evidence of genocide. Likewise, the fact is that two-thirds of status Indian children did not attend residential schools. Those who did attend had to be enrolled by their parents..It is true that there are many claims of unmarked graves, but none have been excavated to date. Is it possible the world has been led astray? Can it be that both indigenous Canadians and non-indigenous Canadians are being forced into the dehumanizing experience of a mass deception or misperception around historical events?.Terry Glavin is one of the few reporters to challenge the media groupthink on Indian Residential Schools, unmarked graves and the genocide claim, and he has written several empathetic books on residential schools with First Nations people. He is not a ‘denier.’ He is a real reporter. He also accepts the view that a ‘cultural genocide’ occurred..Canada has been accused of genocide by people like Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond (Aki-Kwe), as quoted in the June 02, 2021, story by CBC. In that same story, former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair, casually upped the number of missing children in the alleged unmarked graves from a figure of 3,201 as per the TRC report death registry, in an off-the-cuff statement claiming that it “…could be in the 15,000-25,000 range, and maybe even more.” Sinclair’s TRC went as far as to claim a ‘cultural genocide’ occurred — but did not find that a physical genocide had occurred..In the Calgary Herald on August 5th, 2010, Murray Sinclair was quoted: "While the TRC heard many experiences of unspeakable abuse, we have been heartened by testimonies which affirm the dedication and compassion of committed educators who sought to nurture the children in their care. These experiences must also be heard." But they are not heard. How did this story go from balance to genocide overnight?.Turpel-Lafond stated in the same CBC interview: "When you find a site with unmarked and undocumented burials of human remains, that is immediately a crime scene," explained Turpel-Lafond, who is also a law professor and former judge. "That means that there has to be a proper investigation of what's there, who is buried there, under what circumstances.".The problem with this statement is that no such ‘burials of human remains’ have been found. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) can only identify below-ground disturbances, not what there is — whether body, coffin or building materials. No proper investigation has been done at all, though the media recite claims as if fact and evidence exist. None of the claimed sites of unmarked or mass graves have been identified as crime scenes by the RCMP or other regional police. Most of those people who today claim they have relatives who went missing at Indian Residential Schools never made a missing persons report to police in the roughly 50 years prior to today..Canada is being given a public hanging without due process for the serious charge of genocide. So far, we have recollections of people which were gathered and published in the 4,000-page Truth and Reconciliation Report. Anyone who questions the veracity of the recollections is immediately branded a ‘residential school denier.’ The people were children at the time. No cross-examination or witnesses were required in the TRC process. Thus, we have statements from people, but no evidence. None of this follows due process of law..Subsequently, sudden discoveries of unmarked graves on or near Indian Residential Schools began popping up across the country. Some individuals who bought property that was said to formerly be a residential school or community graveyard, suddenly had Indigenous people showing up, wanting access to examine the property and invoking special rights or sacred rights..The special rights typically revolve around the claim that the original land was stolen and that the numbered treaties are not valid; the sacred rights revolve around the fact that all humans care about their loved ones. In death, finding remains of a lost person is often a point of closure of grief..However, in these cases, many of those searching never knew the individual at all and some only found out via the archival records that they even had a relative at an Indian Residential School. This means the separation from the family was at a very young age, or perhaps, in the case of an orphaned child or one with a handicap or deformity, the family did not speak of them anymore..Otherwise, if children are missing, why were they not reported as missing persons by their parents to law officers decades ago? In order to attend an Indian Residential School, the parents had to formally register the child. If the community was aware of child disappearances, why did parents continue to sign up their children to attend? If Indian Residential Schools were secretly killing children, how could they get away with it as they had to coordinate the assigned name and number of the child to the Department of Indian Affairs, in order to get paid the related education funding from the government?.A numbered child?!.CBC quoted Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond saying: "I'll just make it very concrete for you. One child was simply referred to [as], and I quote, 'Indian Girl No. 237.’".In light of the fact that Indian Residential Schools often took in entire families of children who were orphaned when one or both parents died, and that numbers were assigned for coordination of clothing, bedding and linen, as is done at many summer camps today, it is not shocking that an orphaned toddler or baby might arrive for care without a name, but with a number that the Indian Agent and government could use for coordinating stipends. Many people died in those days; thousands of people, indigenous-Canadian and others alike lie in unmarked graves, cut down by tuberculosis, influenza, Spanish Flu or infection. They have families around the world who have no idea where they lie..But Canadian records are very clear about the whereabouts of the Indian Residential School students who tragically died, at school or afterward on reserve..Two years ago, independent researcher Nina Green documented in meticulous detail, that the Indian agent was required to prepare a report on every death. If the death was from illness, the attending physician had to fill out a form. If the death was by accident, the Indian agent was required to interview any witnesses and fill out a form. Each and every death was dutifully recorded in the quarterly and annual reports of the Department of Indian Affairs..And, as Nina has documented, these records were stored at Library and Archives Canada. To suggest that hundreds, if not thousands, of the deaths at the Indian residential schools were missed — by the Indian agents and the parents — is absolutely absurd..Yet, the CBC does not question Murray Sinclair on this claim..However, they did suddenly begin to question whether or not law professor and former judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond is a ‘pretendian.’ On Nov. 21, 2022, CBC issued a report questioning the lineage of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, going to great lengths to requisition her father’s birth certificate to prove that he was born a white child to British and English parents. She claimed that he was Cree and adopted..Yet CBC unquestioningly accepts Murray Sinclair’s claim the 15,000-20,000 missing children are buried somewhere in unmarked graves, and CBC unquestioningly accepts Sinclair’s recitation of the most heinous recollections of former students as fact. CBC also unquestioningly reports on unmarked grave discoveries, without ever asking when evidence will be presented. When will there be excavations? Where are the crime scene markers? Where is the police report? The witnesses sworn to tell the truth. Why are some bands, like the shíshálh Nation, preproducing their own news clips, releasing them to the press to announce the discovery of 40 unmarked graves, and then not allowing any media coverage?.Is it possible that Canada is being framed with Jewish Holocaust analogies and language that do not reflect the historical evidence in the narrative about Indian Residential Schools? If so, to what end?.Obviously, many children did suffer at Indian Residential Schools. That is not genocide. Many have also been financially compensated in a multi-million-dollar compensation process that did not require evidence of harm and only nominal proof of attendance..Canada is being treated like an international criminal when there are no declared crime scenes and no physical evidence to support the accusation of ‘genocide.’ And of course, China has capitalized on these findings to launch a UN investigation into Canada for genocide. China was starving 36-40 million of their own people to death in a genocide under Mao, while Canada was educating, feeding and providing medical aid to indigenous children at Indian Residential Schools..So, election interference by China has all the headlines these days, but this intervention by China at the UN against Canada seems forgotten by the press. China is a clever strategist in geopolitics. What is their endgame in pressing this issue of genocide against Canada?.Canadians seem blind to the implications of this..Canadians must call for an immediate halt to all programs of reparation payments, to any effort to isolate historic records from access in the present public domain, to any effort to impose special rights on lands or properties based on ‘suspected’ unmarked graves of missing children. No property rights or access should be overturned to accommodate people who think they’d like to dig up your property. No land back for sacred purposes. No restriction on historic records that are presently in the public domain..Unfortunately, efforts are being made to do these things..Kimberly Murray, Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools, now says that the government doesn’t have to wait for her final report but should go ahead and change laws. Furthermore, as special advisor to David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Kimberly Murray is inviting submissions by August 31st on a very wide variety of topics, including Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Many historical researchers are concerned that this is not even part of her mandate and, without evidence and due process, as noted above, this may lead to restrictions of access to documents and even lands, meaning that evidence will never be available to prove or disprove Canada’s guilt in the heinous accusations of genocide..An example of what is being said versus what the historical record reveals is the case of Augustine Allen. said to be a relative of Charlene Belleau, who was appointed to the BC Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. At Kimberley Murray’s January gathering with Indian Residential School former students, Belleau claimed that “My grandpa committed suicide there and is buried at SJM (St Joseph’s Mission in Williams Lake.)” However, the death records, Indian Agent correspondence and school records show that Augustine died at age 9 in 1920 and had no descendants. He died of eating Water Hemlock, poisoned along with 8 other boys, but not fatal in their cases. There is an astounding amount of factual detail related to his death, and this is all drawn from public records by independent researcher Nina Green..Imagine if these factual records suddenly become the sole property of a First Nations organization such as Kimberley Murray seems to be proposing with Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Should Canadians be forced to pay out billions of dollars in reparations for a genocide that did not happen? Is the ‘land back’ movement — an Indigenous movement that claims lands ‘were stolen’ and not legally negotiated by treaty — exploiting the genocide theme in order to dismantle Canada or usurp present rule of law and property ownership?.Without access to these historic documents that are presently in the public domain, Canada will also not be able to argue its case when the UN Special Rapporteur on Rights of Indigenous Peoples issues his report, due in September. Then he will issue his findings vis a vis the allegations of genocide at Indian Residential Schools in Canada. After his ten-day visit here to gather information in March, his parting words were that the Indian Residential Schools had an ‘appalling legacy.’.It seems this public domain historical research will be vital to ferreting out the truth for the most heinous of criminal accusations against us and restoring peace of mind to young Indigenous people who have been led to believe things that are not supported by historical evidence..CBC has shown their ability and interest in doing due diligence to get to the truth as in the case of Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, thus they seem capable enough to access death records and student names and see how or if these match the register of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation memorial wall. Why doesn’t the tax-funded CBC make a public reconciliation commitment to access the Indian Residential School records and death certificates and, on a weekly basis to report on 100 deaths and circumstances? Nina Green has done all the groundwork for them. Shouldn’t Canada’s national broadcaster inform the taxpaying public of the details of the historical records?.If CBC took on this mission, it is likely they will find many anomalies between the names on the NCTR memorial banner versus the actual Indian Residential School Records, as researcher Nina Green found. People who died of gunshot wounds, drowning, fire, 85-year-olds. It seems that out of what is probably an innocent and earnest desire to honor loved ones who died, the NCTR banner has become a general memorial — but their deaths have nothing to do with Indian Residential Schools. But to the outside world, this growing list of numbers is ‘evidence’ that a genocide took place in Canada..That’s not the truth. And there will be no reconciliation until accurate reporting and proper criminal and forensic investigations of the alleged unmarked graves begins..Until such time, Canada is innocent. Innocent until proven guilty..No relevant laws should be changed until these matters are properly adjudicated..Access to all public domain historical records must remain unrestricted..The public hanging of Canada must stop..Michelle Stirling is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists. She researched, wrote and co-produced historical shows about Southern Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Hugh Dempsey, then curator of the Glenbow Museum.
