In May 2021, the remains of 215 Indigenous children killed in a Residential School in British Colombia were found. Since then 1000s of unmarked graves have been found at former Residential Schools sites across the country, with thousands of more Indigenous children still unaccounted for. Over seven generations of Indigenous people were forced into these ‘schools’ and thousands continue to feel their indescribable effects of personal and intergenerational trauma to this day. The Indigenous people of this land continue to face systemic violence and oppression to this day. This is not just a historical issue; it is also a current issue.
For all of us in Canada, this moment should be one of national mourning.
We as settlers and non-Indigenous people of this land need to own that; we need to sit with the discomfort of our country's actions. We have to accept that while we might not be directly responsible, we still greatly benefit from colonialism in Canada. We need to understand that we can love this country and know it needs to be better.
Our government has a responsibility to do better, but so do we. We can't just mourn; we need to do more, individually as settlers and collectively as a settler nation. We all have a part to play in Truth & Reconciliation, and since our government isn't stepping up, then we, the people, must.
Read more about our project’s commitment to this moment in our Status Quo Must Go Statement.